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A  HISTORY  OF  THE 
GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY 


A    HISTORY, 

OF   THE 

GREAT    WESTERN     RAILWAY 


;  SEVENTY   MILES   AN   HOUR.' 


A   HISTORY 


OF   THE 


GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY 


BEING 


Stor^  of  tbc  Broafc  (Bauge 


?  A>VS  E  K  O  N 


AUTHOR   OF    'THE  EVOLUTION   OF  OUR   RAILWAYS 
'  A  HISTORY  OF  THE  SOUTH  EASTERN  RAILWAY  ' 

ETC.    ETC. 


ILL  UST RATED 


SECOND    EDITION 


LONDON 

DIGBY,   LONG   &   CO.,   PUBLISHERS 
1 8   BOUVERIE   STREET,    FLEET   STREET,    E.G. 


TO 

FREDERICK   GEORGE   SAUNDERS,    ESQ. 
(NEPHEW  OF  THE  LATE  CHARLES  SAUNDERS,  ESQ.,  "&HE  ORIGINAL  SECRETARY 

AND  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  THE  G.W.R.) 
CHAIRMAN  OF  DIRECTORS,  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY 

AND  ONE  OF 
THE  LAST  OF  THE  BROAD  GAUGERS 

THIS   VOLUME   IS   RESPECTFULLY 

Dedicates 

BY   KIND   PERMISSION 


PREFACE 


IN  presenting  this  History  of  the  Great  Western 
Railway ',  I  would  remind  the  reader  that  it  is  '  The 
Story  of  the  Broad  Gauge '  that  is  here  chronicled, 
so  that  while  in  the  first  thirty  years  or  so  of  the 
Great  Western  Railway's  existence  the  work  is,  de 
facto,  a  '  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway,' 
for  the  remaining  period  up  to  the  present  time 
it  is  rather  a  history  of  that  part  of  the  Great 
Western  system  which  was  formerly  Broad  Gauge  ; 
nor  have  I  attempted  in  any  way  to  chronicle  the 
construction  or  development  of  the  Narrow  Gauge 
extensions  and  additions  to  the  original  Broad 
Gauge  trunk  lines  and  branches,  although  passing 
references  have  been  made  to  some  important  and 
interesting  occurrences  in  connection  therewith. 

In  the  ensuing  pages,  with  much  diffidence.  I 
offer  my  readers  the  efforts  of  considerable  labour 
and  research,  and  am  acutely  conscious  that  the 
book  is  not  as  complete  in  many  respects  as  I 
should  like  it  to  be ;  but  the  difficulties  that  are 
encountered  in  completing  such  a  work  as  this, 
are  both  numerous  and  unexpected,  and  call  into 
use  a  large  amount  of  patience  on  the  compiler's 


viii  Preface. 

part — thus,  in  a  newspaper  or  book,  mention  will  be 
made  of  proposed  engineering  feats,  new  locomotives, 
improved  vehicles,  increases  of  speed,  etc.,  and  then 
no  more  information  on  the  subject  will  be  obtain- 
able, and  it  is  only  after  very  long  research,  and 
then  generally  by  but  an  indirect  reference  in  un- 
expected places  that  I  have  been  able  to  discover 
if  the  innovations  or  proposals  were  actually  carried 
out  and  the  expected  results  obtained.  Much  in- 
teresting matter  of  this  description  I  have  therefore 
had  to  reject,  since,  despite  considerable  inquiry,  I 
have  been  unable  to  discover  the  result  of  the 
proposed  alterations,  etc.  In  some  cases,  the  careful 
research,  so  kindly  made  by  the  officials  at  Paddington, 
among  the  documents  in  possession  of  the  Railway 
Company,  has  not  succeeded  in  bringing  to  light  the 
information  required. 

Here  is  another  example  of  wasted  energy.  At 
the  commencement  of  the  past  year  a  discussion 
arose,  in  an  engineering  journal,  concerning  the 
third-class  parliamentary  fares  charged  on  the  Great 
Western  Railway.  I  joined  in  the  correspondence, 
and  promised  to  devote  a  chapter  of  this  book  to  the 
subject.  After  I  had  gone  to  considerable  trouble  in 
obtaining  full  information  on  the  question,  the  Great 
Western  Directors  decided  that  from  ist  July  1894 
third-class  fares  on  their  railway  should  be  abolished, 
and  only  one  penny  per  mile  charged  for  third- 
class  passengers.  This  was  clearly  a  case  of  '  Love's 
labour  lost." 


Preface.  ix 

Critical  readers  will  no  doubt  find  that  some 
errors  more  or  less  important  have  crept  into  the 
work,  and  I  shall  feel  indebted  to  any  of  them 
who  will  point  out  such  slips. 

Nor  do  I  expect  the  opinions  I  have  expressed 
in  this  book  to  pass  unquestioned ;  indeed,  one  of 
our  most  notable  railway  officials,  who  did  me  the 
honour  of  revising  the  description  of  an  incident 
in  which  he  was  prominently  concerned,  at  one 
part  of  the  account  observed  '  that  is  a  matter 
of  opinion  only,'  so  that  even  he  did  not  in  that 
particular  agree  with  me.  In  the  railway  and 
engineering  journals  to  which  I  contribute,  articles 
from  my  pen  rightly  receive  critical  treatment  from 
the  readers ;  nor  is  this  criticism  always  of  the 
most  gentle  description,  as  the  following  extracts 
from  a  critic's  remarks  will  show  : — 

'  Mr  Sekon  says  that  Mr should  have 

profited  by  the  experience  of  his  predecessor, 
.  .  .  and  should  not  have  brought  out  the  class 
as  six  wheel  engines.  It  is  true  that  the  lead- 
ing axles  bear  a  great  weight,  and  that  one  has 
already  had  a  bogie  substituted,  but  we  may  be 
sure  that  Mr  knew  all  about  the  "Great 

Western,"  and  only  brought  out  the  new  six  wheeled 
engines  after  mature  consideration  of  every  detail. 
Besides,  it  is  surely  not  for  Mr  Sekon,  or  any 
other  outsider,  to  criticise  .  .  .  the  locomotive 
superintendent  of  a  great  railway.  ...  I  think 
it  would  be  hasty,  to  say  the  least,  to  attach  the 


x  Preface. 

blame,   if  blame  there  be,   to  the  locomotive   super- 
intendent,   as     it     is     quite    within     the     range     of 
possibility  that  considerations  of  expense,   or  others 
of    a    kindred    nature,     may    have    deterred    higher 
authorities    from    sanctioning    bogies     originally    for 
these    engines.    .    .    .    Now,    I    should    have    thought 
that    a    gentleman    who   sets    himself  up    to    criticise 
locomotive    superintendents,'    etc.  ;    but    although     I 
answered,   and,    I    think,   convinced,    or    at   any    rate 
silenced,    my   critical    friend,    I    might   have   left   the 
matter    in     the     hands     of    others — readers    of    the 
journal,   several  of  whom   replied  to  the  gentleman's 
letter  and  soundly  rated  him  in  more  forcible  terms 
than     I     could    personally    have   used   to    him    under 
the  circumstances.       I    am    quite    prepared    to    find 
that    many    readers    will    differ    from    me    in    some 
of    the     conclusions    expressed     in     this    book.        I 
would    here    remark    that    I    consider   the   history   of 
the  Great  Western  Railway  of   much  more   interest 
than    the     history    of     any    other     railway,     for     no 
other    line    (save    the    companies    subsidiary    to    the 
Great  Western  Railway)  contains  the  materials  neces- 
sary  to   raise   the   same    excitement   as   was    caused 
in     engineering     and     general    circles    by   the    con- 
struction   of  the    Great  Western   Railway — for  what 
other    railway   engineer   was    as    bold    as    Isambard 
Kingdom    Brunei  ?      Who   else    proposed,    let    alone 
constructed,    a   colossal    railway    with    the    numerous 
and    perhaps   questionable    innovations,    which    were 
so    successfully   carried   out   on    the    Great   Western 


Preface.  xi 

Railway  ?  or  what  other  line  has  had  almost 
the  whole  railway  world,  and  most  of  the  pro- 
minent engineers,  arraigned  against  it,  as  did  the 
Great  Western  Railway  during  the  '  Battle  of  the 
Gauges '  ? 

It  was  the  fate  of  the  Great  Western  Railway— 
or,  more  properly  speaking,  of  the  7  feet  Gauge- 
to  have  been  constructed  at  an  inopportune  time ; 
had  it  been  proposed  a  few  years  earlier,  when 
railways  were  yet  more  undeveloped  than  they 
were  in  1835,  or  even  thirty  or  forty  years  later, 
when  the  evils  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  had  become 
generally  acknowledged,  the  result  would  have 
been  different,  and  we  might  have  seen  a  general 
conversion  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  to  the  more 
commodious  Broad  Gauge.  Had  the  '  Quadruple 
Treaty'  of  1867-72  been  fully  carried  out,  and  the 
Broad  Gauge  laid  down  on  all  the  Narrow  Gauge 
lines,  and  vice  versa  in  Devonshire  and  Cornwall,  as 
was  intended,  we  should  have  had  in  operation  to-day 
a  larger  mileage  of  wide  gauge  lines  than  existed  in 
the  most  palmy  days  of  Brunei's  conception. 

My  grateful  thanks  are  due  to  F.  G.  Saunders, 
Esq.,  the  Chairman  of  Directors  of  the  Great 
Western  Railway,  for  the  honour  he  has  done  me 
in  revising  the  proofs  of  this  work,  and  also  to 
G.  K.  Mills,  Esq.,  the  Secretary  of  the  Railway, 
both  for  information  supplied  and  for  help  he  has 
accorded  me  in  supplying  correct  dates,  statistics, 
etc.  While  the  great  interest  both  these  gentle- 


xii  Preface. 

men  have  taken  in  the  production  of  this  book 
has  been  most  encouraging  to  me. 

In  conclusion,  I  must  apologise  to  the  general 
reader  if  he  finds  I  have  written  in  a  somewhat 
technical  strain,  for,  although  I  have  avoided 
railway  phraselogy  when  possible,  I  fear  that,  being 
used  to  writing  in  such  terms,  I  have  at  times 
forgotten  myself  and  indulged  in  phrases  perhaps 
somewhat  unfamiliar  to  the  general  reader.  The 
only  other  history  of  the  Great  Western  Railway 
was  published  forty-eight  years  ago,  and  cost 
^4,  145.  6d.  per  copy,  so  that  I  think  it  cannot 
be  denied  that  a  cheaper  and  up-to-date  work  on 
the  subject  is  requisite. 

And  now  I  leave  the  story  of  the  Broad  Gauge 
to  my  readers'  judgment,  and  hope  it  may,  in 
some  degree  at  least,  instruct  and  interest  them. 

G.  A.   SEKON. 


LONDON,  N. 

January  1895. 


ILL  USTRA  TIONS 


THE  UP  '  FLYING  DUTCHMAN,'  .....          Frontispiece 

THE  ORIGINAL  PADDINGTON  TERMINUS,  1845,  IO 

THE  BOX  TUNNEL,          ....  47 

BATH  STATION,    ..,.."..  5° 

'THE  NORTH  STAR,'        ......  52 

'THE  PREMIER,'  ........  66 

ISAMBARD  KINGDOM  BRUNEI,,     .....  85 

SIR  DANIEL  GOOCH,        ...                     .  95 

BRISTOL  AND  EXETER  TANK  ENGINE,    .....  IQI 

A  LOCOMOTIVE  METAMORPHOSIS,  .  .  .  .  -193 

4  THE  HAUNCHBACKS,'  A  SOUTH  DEVON  SADDLE  TANK,         .          .  197 

BRUNEL'S  MASTERPIECE — THE  'ROYAL  ALBERT  BRIDGE,'  SALTASH,  .  222 

THE  BOURTON  DISASTER,  1876,  ......  269 

THE  NORTON  FITZWARREN  COLLISION,  ....  273 

'CONVERTED,'      ........  306 

'BROAD  GAUGE  STABILITY,'       ......  309 


CONTENTS 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I. — The  Inception  of  the  Great  Western  Railway,     .             .  i 

II. — The  Construction  of  the  Railway,              ...  9 

III. — The  Opening  of  the  Railway,        ....  52 

IV. — The  Early  Broad  Gauge  Locomotives,      .             .  64 

V. — The  Early  Development  of  the  Railway,  73 

VI . — The  Battle  of  the  Gauges — The  Broad  Gauge  Leaders,  84 

VI I. — The   Battle   of   the   Gauges — Social   and  Commercial 

Battle,  ......  105 

VIII.— The  Battle  of  the  Gauges— The  Parliamentary  Battle,    .  1 16 

IX. — The  Battle  of  the  Gauges — The  Engineering  Battle,       .  125 

X. — The  Battle  of  the  Gauges — The  Gauge  Experiments,      .  134 

XI. — The  Battle  of  the  Gauges — The  Gauge  Commissioners' 

Report,         .  .  .  .  .  .142 

XII. — The  Battle  of  the  Gauges— The  Parliamentary    Battle 

Continued,    .  .  .  .  .  .157 

XIII.— The  Battle  of  the  Gauges— The  Mixed  Gauge,    .  .         170 

XIV. — The   Battle  of  the  Gauges — The  Broad  Gauge  Loco- 
motives,       ......         183 

XV. — The  South  Devon  Railway,            .             .             .  .199 

XVI. — The  Cornwall  Railway,       .            .            .            .  .218 

XVII.— The  South  Wales  Railway,            .            4            .  .234 

XVIII. — The  Early  Conversion  from  Broad  to  Narrow  Gauge,  .         246 

XIX. — The  Later  Development  of  the  Railway,  .            .  .        254 

XX. — The  Final  Conversion  from  Broad  to  Narrow  Gauge,  .         282 


Contents. 

CHAP.  PAGE 

XXI. — Conclusion,  .....         320 

XXII.— Appendices — 

A. — Report  of  Great  Western  Railway  Directors  to 
Shareholders  in  favour  of  the  Continuance  of 
the  Broad  Gauge,  ....  325 

B. — Report  of  the  Gauge  Commissioners,     .  .         329 

C—  Mr  Brunei's  Report  to  the  South  Devon  Kail- 
way  Directors  urging  the  adoption  of  the 
Atmospheric  System,  ....  359 

D. — Mr  Brunei's  Report  to  the  South  Devon 
Railway  Directors  advising  the  withdrawal  of 
the  Atmospheric  Principle  after  one  year's 
experience  of  the  System. 

Index,      .  .  .  . 


BEING    THE 

of  tbe  $roafc  (Bauge 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE    INCEPTION    OF    THE    GREAT    WESTERN    RAILWAY. 

THE  merchants  of  Bristol,  ever  in  the  van  of  improve- 
ment, and  always  ready  to  adopt  any  new  measure 
that  would  enlarge  their  commerce,  were  among  the 
earliest  of  those  who  clearly  saw  the  great  advantages 
to  be  derived  from  railway  communication  with  other 
parts  of  the  country,  and  especially  with  London  ;  the 
usual  method  of  transit  for  goods  between  the  two  places 
at  that  time  being  the  Avon  and  Thames  at  either  end, 
and  the  round-about  system  of  canals  connecting  at 
Bath  with  the  Avon,  and  at  Reading  with  the  Thames. 
This  water  communication  provided  only  a  very  costly 
and  very  tedious  mode  of  transit,  liable  to  be  stopped 
by  the  drought  of  summer  and  the  frost  of  winter,  so 
that  for  want  of  a  quicker  and  cheaper  connection  be- 
tween Bristol  and  London,  the  manufacturers  and 
merchants  of  the  former  place  found  themselves  shut 
out  of  many  of  the  most  important  markets  for  their 
merchandise. 

As  early  as  1825,  the  merchants  of  Bristol  had  tried 
to  form  a  company  to  construct  a  railway  to  London, 
but  at  that  time  the  general  public  knew  nothing  of 
steam  in  connection  with  railways,  so  that  no  support 

A 


2         A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

could  be  obtained,  and  the  proposal  was  dropped  ;  but 
in  the  autumn  of  1832  a  committee  was  formed  which 
determined  to  proceed  with  the  matter,  and  an  en- 
gineer was  advertised  for. 

Isambard  Kingdom  Brunei  was  advised  to  apply 
for  the  appointment,  and  told  he  was  likely  to  obtain 
it,  as  he  was  known  and  popular  at  Bristol  in  con- 
nection with  his  attempt  to  construct  a  suspension 
bridge  over  the  Avon  at  Clifton,  but  which  had  been 
temporarily  abandoned  for  lack  of  funds.  He  was 
also  told  that  the  committee  would  appoint  as  en- 
gineer, the  person  who  guaranteed  to  construct  the 
line  for  the  least  amount  of  money.  His  answer  to 
this  was, — 'You  are  holding  out  a  premium  to  the 
man  who  will  make  you  the  most  flattering  promise, 
and  it  is  quite  obvious  that  the  man  who  has  either 
the  least  reputation  at  stake,  or  who  has  most  to  gain 
by  temporary  success,  and  least  to  lose  by  the  conse- 
quences of  disappointment,  must  be  the  winner  in  such 
a  race.'  Despite  this  fearless  expression  of  his  views, 
he  was  appointed  Engineer  March  7th,  1833,  and  at 
once  commenced  the  survey  of  the  country  between 
London  and  Bristol.  After  going  over  the  several 
districts  through  which  the  line  might  have  been  con- 
structed, he  chose  the  course  now  occupied  by  the 
Great  Western  Railway,  and  having  finished  his 
surveys  in  June,  no  time  was  lost  by  the  Committee, 
for  on  July  3Oth,  1833.  the  Mayor  of  Bristol  called 
a  public  meeting  of  the  inhabitants,  and  it  was  then 
resolved  to  form  a  company  to  construct  a  railway 
from  Bristol  to  London.  A  local  Board  of  Directors 
was  formed,  the  Corporation,  Dock  Company  and 
Society  of  Merchant  Venturers  each  having  official 
representatives  on  the  Board  in  addition  to  the  several 
general  merchants  and  gentlemen  elected  Directors  at 
the  meeting.  A  somewhat  similar  Board  of  Directors 
was  chosen  in  London,  and  preparations  were  at  once 
made  to  prepare  a  Bill  for  the  next  session  of  Parlia- 
ment. 


The  Inception  of  the  Great  Western  Railway.       3 

The  prospectus  first  issued  asked  for  a  capital 
of  ,£3,000,000  to  be  subscribed,  this  was  to  build  the 
sections  of  the  railway  from  London  to  Reading,  and 
from  Bath  to  Bristol.  The  Company  was  duly  con- 
stituted a  month  after  the  issue  of  the  prospectus. 
Mr  Brunei  was  exceedingly  busy  during  all  this  time 
till  late  in  the  year  preparing  the  necessary  plans  to  de- 
posit in  Parliament.  The  Bill  '  to  construct  a  railway 
from  London  to  Reading,  and  from  Bath  to  Bristol,  as 
a  means  of  facilitating  the  ultimate  establishment  of  a 
railway  between  London  and  Bristol,'  was  introduced 
in  the  House  of  Commons  on  loth  March  1834.  At 
first  the  line  was  proposed  to  enter  London  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Thames,  but  afterwards  the  Directors 
altered  their  plans,  and  substituted  a  viaduct,  24  feet 
high  with  a  parapet  6  feet  6  inches  high  on  either  side, 
to  prevent  the  passengers  looking  into  the  houses  as 
they  travelled  ;  the  terminus  was  then  to  be  at  Vaux- 
hall  on  the  river  bank,  abutting  on  the  north  end  of 
the  bridge.  The  Commissioners  of  Metropolitan  Roads 
offered  strenuous  opposition  to  the  Viaduct  crossing 
Piccadilly. 

The  second  reading  was  carried  by  184  votes  to 
90,  and  on  April  loth,  the  Bill  went  before  the  Com- 
mittee, of  which  Lord  Granville  Somerset  was  chair- 
man. 

On  the  1 3th  day  of  the  sitting  of  the  Committee, 
the  Railway  Company  abandoned  the  idea  of  a  terminus 
at  Vauxhall,  and  instead  proposed  to  locate  it  at  South 
Kensington  near  the  '  Hoop  and  Toy '  Public  House. 
This  gave  up  that  part  of  the  line  that  passed  through 
Chelsea,  and  by  this  concession  the  Directors  would 
have  saved  ^"80,141  in  construction,  and  also  hoped  to 
prevent  the  opposition  of  the  noblemen  who  owned  the 
property  between  Brompton  and  Vauxhall,  but  with- 
out effect,  for  the  counsel  who  appeared  for  the  Bromp- 
ton property  owners,  objected  to  the  nuisance  caused 
by  a  railway  being  allowed  at  Brompton,  which  he 
described  as  '  the  most  famous  of  any  place  in  the 


4         A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

neighbourhood  of  London  for  the  salubrity  of  its  air, 
and  calculated  for  retired  residences.' 

It  was  proved  in  evidence  that  three  days  at  the 
very  least,  and  under  the  most  favourable  circum- 
stances, were  required  to  convey  goods  from  Reading 
to  London  (80  miles)  by  river,  and  one  day  under 
the  best  auspices,  from  Bristol  to  Bath.  The  times 
the  railway  undertook  to  perform  the  journey  from 
London  to 

h.  m.  Distance 

Slough      was  0.45  iSJ-  miles 

Reading     ,,  1.25  36        „ 

Oxford        ,,  2.30  63^- 

Swindon     ,,  3.0  77  J 

Bath  ,,  4.10  108 

Bristol        „  4.35  n8J      „ 

On  the  London  and  Birmingham  the  trains  took,  to 
Watford,  17^  miles,  59  minutes;  Leighton,  40^  miles, 
2  hours  17  minutes;  Blisworth,  62f  miles,  3  hours 
and  32  minutes  ;  Crick,  75^  miles,  4  hours  1 1  minutes  ; 
Hampton,  100^  miles,  5  hours  35  minutes;  and 
Birmingham,  H2J-  miles,  6  hours  and  14  minutes. 
The  London  and  Birmingham  Railway  only  obtained 
their  Act  of  Incorporation  on  6th  May  1833,  so  that, 
when  less  than  12  months  after,  another  railway 
proposed  to  travel  6  miles  more  in  i  hour  39 
minutes  less  time,  it  appeared  to  the  public,  whose 
idea  of  express  travelling  was  limited  to  a  mail 
coach  at  10  miles  an  hour,  that  such  a  speed  was 
utterly  impossible  of  accomplishment,  and  when  Mr 
Brunei,  in  giving  his  evidence,  stated  that  he  hoped 
to  go  by  steam  at  the  rate  of  100  'miles  an  hour, 
the  incredulous  laughter  and  the  shouts  of  derision 
were  appalling. 

Mr  Brunei  was  examined  for  eleven  days,  and 
the  landowners  and  others  who  were  interested  in 
the  success  or  non-success  of  the  measure  during  this 
time  crowded  the  committee-room  day  by  day.  A 
person  who  was  present  thus  describes  Mr  Brunei's 


The  Inception  of  the  Great  Western  Railway.       5 

manner  during  this  searching  inquiry.  '  His  know- 
ledge of  the  country  surveyed  by  him  was  mar- 
vellously great,  and  the  explanations  he  gave  of  his 
plans,  and  the  answers  he  returned  to  questions 
suggested  by  Dr  Lardner  showed  a  practical  ac- 
quaintance with  the  principles  of  mechanics.  He 
was  rapid  in  thought,  clear  in  language,  and  never 
said  too  much,  or  lost  his  presence  of  mind.  I  do 
not  remember  having  enjoyed  so  great  an  intellectual 
treat  as  that  of  listening  to  Brunei's  examination, 
and  I  was  told  at  the  time  that  George  Stephenson 
and  many  others  were  much  struck  by  the  ability 
and  knowledge  shown  by  him.' 

In  1834  a  certain  wiseacre  —  Cort  by  name — 
possessed  sufficient  conceit  to  publish  a  work,  which 
he  called  Railway  Imposition  Detected,  in  which 
occurs  the  following  specimen  of  his  far-seeing  wis- 
dom, or,  candidly  speaking,  of  his  utter  foolishness. 
'  The  Great  Western,  though  probably  it  may  reach 
as  far  as  Bath  from  Bristol,  after  having,  like  a  mole, 
explored  its  way  through  tunnels  long  and  deep, 
the  shareholders  who  travel  by  it  will  be  so  heartily 
sick,  what  with  foul  air,  smoke  and  sulphur,  that  the 
very  mention  of  a  railway  will  be  worse  than 
ipecacuanha,  especially  when  the  only  prospect  they 
can  find  the  least  cheering  in  the  midst  of  all  this 
derangement  of  their  stomachs  will  be  a  granite 
tramway  actually  in  operation  alongside  of  their  own 
dose  of  ipecacuanha,  ready  to  follow  up  the  black  draft, 
so  as  to  get  rid  of  every  particle  of  obstruction  with 
which  the  bottoms  of  their  pockets  may  otherwise 
be  afflicted.' 

All  the  principal  engineers  of  the  time,  including 
George  Stephenson,  were  called  in  support  of  the 
scheme,  the  engineering  evidence  being  forty-two  days 
before  the  Committee.  The  principal  points  relied 
upon  for  the  opposition  were,  the  impossibility  of  con- 
structing the  Box  Tunnel,  and  the  fragmentary  nature 
of  the  proposal  before  Parliament — it  was  described  as 


6         A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

neither  'Great'  nor  '  Western,'  nor  even  a  'railway,' 
'  but  a  head  and  a  tail  of  a  concern,  72  miles  apart, 
which  would  never  be  joined  by  a  body.'  The 
authorities  of  Eton  College  and  the  University  of 
Oxford  were  among  the  most  vehement  of  the  opposi- 
tion ;  indeed,  after  the  Bill  was  thrown  out,  the  Marquis 
of  Chandos  presided  over  a  public  meeting  at  Salt 
Hill,  Slough,  to  commemorate  the  defeat  of  the  measure. 

On  the  fifty-fourth  day  Mr  Harrison,  K.C.,  com- 
menced his  speech  in  reply  for  the  promoters,  and  on 
the  fifty-seventh  day  the  Committee  passed  the  Bill. 
It  was  then  introduced  into  the  House  of  Lords,  and 
the  second  reading  was  moved  by  Lord  Wharncliffe, 
when  30  contents  and  47  non-contents  voted,  and 
consequently  the  Bill  was  lost,  ^"30,000  having 
been  spent  upon  the  parliamentary  proceedings.  In 
this  Bill  the  gauge  was  to  be  4  feet  8^-  inches. 

The  Directors  were  not  daunted  by  their  non-suc- 
cess, and  they  at  once  commenced  to  prepare  a  new 
scheme  for  the  next  parliamentary  session.  The  South 
Kensington  Terminus  was  abandoned,  and  in  its  place, 
it  was  proposed  to  join  the  London  and  Birmingham 
line  at  Kensal  Green,  and  use  the  4  miles  of  that  line 
thence  to  Euston,  which  was  to  be  a  joint  station.  The 
capital  was  reduced  to  two  and  a  half  millions,  with 
borrowing  powers  to  the  extent  of  ,£833,333,  and  as 
the  last  Bill,  in  consequence  of  only  part  of  the  line 
being  proposed  to  be  constructed,  was  described  as 
no  railway  at  all,  but  '  a  gross  deception,  a  trick  and  a 
fraud  upon  the  public,  in  name,  in  title,  and  in  sub- 
stance,' upon  this  occasion  the  promoters  undertook 
to  construct  the  whole  of  the  line.  The  second  read- 
ing took  place  on  March  9th,  1835  (the  earliest  allow- 
able date,  according  to  the  standing  orders).  One 
hundred  and  sixty  members  voted  in  favour  of  the 
second  reading,  and  only  the  tellers  on  the  other  side. 

Mr  C.  Russell  was  appointed  the  Chairman  of 
Committee,  and  a  resolution  was  passed  that  no  evi- 
dence was  required  as  to  the  public  advantage  of 


The  Inception  of  the  Great  Western  Railway.       7 

the  railway,  so  that  the  only  evidence  the  opponents 
of  the  measure  were  able  to  bring  forward  was  as  to 
the  bad  course  adopted  for  the  railway.  The  Box 
Tunnel  bogie  was  trotted  out  again  and  made  the  most 
of,  and  another  route,  from  Basingstoke  to  Bath,  was 
described  as  the  best  one  possible  for  the  railway,  as 
such  a  line  would  avoid  '  the  monstrous  and  extraor- 
dinary, most  dangerous  and  impracticable  tunnel  at 
Box,'  but  without  avail,  for  the  Bill  passed  the  Com- 
mons again,  and  on  May  27th  was  read  the  first  time 
in  the  House  of  Lords.  The  second  reading  was  on 
June  loth,  the  voting  being  46  contents  and  34 
non-contents.  The  Bill  then  .came  before  the  Lords' 
Committee,  who  heard  the  evidence  in  favour 
of  it  for  eighteen  days.  Sergeant  Mere  weather, 
who  was  leading  counsel  for  the  epposition,  made  a 
speech  which  lasted  for  four  days  in  opening  the 
opponents'  case,  but  despite  this,  the  Bill  passed  safely 
through  the  Committee  stage,  was  read  a  third  time  on 
August  2/th,  and  received  the  Royal  Assent  August 
3ist,  1835.  The  official  title  of  the  Act  being  5  and 
6  Wm.  IV.  cap.  107.  The  preamble  of  which  com- 
mences : — '  Whereas  the  making  of  a  railway  from 
Bristol  to  join  the  London  and  Birmingham  Railway 
near  London,  and  also  branches  to  Trowbridge  and 
Bradford  in  the  county  of  Wilts,  would  be  of  great 
public  advantage,  not  only  by  opening  an  additional, 
certain  and  expeditious  communication  between  the 
cities  and  towns  aforesaid,  but  also  by  improving  the 
existing  communication  between  the  Metropolis  and 
the  western  districts  of  England,  the  South  of  Ireland 
and  Wales,  and  whence,'  etc. 

No  mention  of  the  gauge  was  made  in  the  Bill,  Mr 
Brunei  purposely  having  omitted  that  item.  The  Pro- 
vost and  Fellows  of  Eton  College  obtained  the  inser- 
tion of  a  clause  forbidding  the  erection  of  a  station  at 
Slough,  and  also  requiring  the  Railway  Company  to 
provide  policemen  to  patrol  the  line  for  a  certain  dis- 
tance each  side  of  Slough  to  prevent  the  Eton  boys 


8         A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

from  straying  on  the  line,  and  so  possibly  being  run 
over  by  the  trains,  but  the  Great  Western  Railway 
was  not  deterred  by  this  clause.  Railway  directors  are 
as  well  able  (and  generally  much  better  able)  to  drive 
the  proverbial  coach  and  four  through  an  act  of 
parliament  as  ordinary  mortals.  The  Act  said  they 
were  not  to  build  a  station  at  Slough.  Very  well, 
then,  they  did  not  do  so,  but  the  Act  did  not  enact 
that  the  trains  were  not  to  stop  at  Slough,  so  for 
offices  two  rooms  were  hired  in  a  public  house  ad- 
joining the  railway  at  Slough.  And  from  the  very 
first  opening  of  the  line  the  trains  stopped  there  and 
put  down  and  took  up  passengers,  who  were  doubt- 
less a  little  inconvenienced  by  having  no  platform  to 
alight  on,  or  depart  from,  but  they  were  able  to  go  to 
and  from  Slough  nevertheless. 

This  quick-wittedness  of  the  Great  Western  Rail- 
way made  the  Eton  College  officials  furious,  and  on 
the  2d  June  1838  they  applied  for  an  injunction  in 
Chancery  against  the  railway  for  breaking  their  Act  of 
Incorporation  in  stopping  at  Slough,  but  the  legal  argu- 
ments of  the  railway  counsel  soon  made  it  clear  to 
the  judge,  that  the  Act  had  been  observed  and  duly 
abided  by,  and  the  application  of  the  College  was  re- 
fused. The  authorities  of  the  Oxford  University  also 
obtained  the  insertion  in  the  Bill  of  a  clause  by  which 
the  station  at  Oxford  was  to  be  erected  at  a  spot  as 
distant  as  possible  from  the  Colleges.  Thus  was  the 
inauguration  of  the  most  colossal  railway  of  our  em- 
pire established  by  the  law  makers  of  nearly  sixty 
years  ago,  adding  a  profitless  burden  of  ^89,436,  135. 
3d.  to  the  capital  of  the  Company.*  But  every  mag- 
num opus  must  be  established  lex  terrce. 

The  original  capital  did  not  suffice  to  construct 
the  line,  so  in  1839  an  Act  was  obtained  for  raising 
;£i, 250,000  stock,  and  ,£416,000  by  way  of  loan,  in 
addition  to  the  amount  already  authorised. 

*  The  amount  of  money  expended  in  obtaining  the  Act  of  In- 
corporation. 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE    CONSTRUCTION    OF    THE    LINE. 

HAVING  in  the  previous  chapter  dwelt  with  the  several 
parliamentary  fights,  which  finally  resulted  in  giving 
the  Great  Western  Railway  the  necessary  powers  to 
construct  the  line,  we  will  now  proceed  to  chronicle 
the  building  of  this  remarkable  raihvay. 

We  must  recollect,  that  at  this  period  there  was  no 
settled  practice  as  to  the  mode  of  forming  a  line  of 
railway,  the  only  real  example  then  existing,  being 
the  Liverpool  and  Manchester,  which  was  then  about 
four  years  old,  so  that  it  is  not  surprising  that  the 
style  set  by  George  Stephenson — which  style  is 
acknowledged  by  everyone — including  the  greatest 
worshippers  of  this  truly  remarkable  millwright — to 
be  of  a  very  contracted  and  niggardly  description,— 
was  not  followed.  On  the  other  hand,  had  the 
practice  of  railway  construction  been  settled,  for  that 
very  reason  Isambard  Kingdom  Brunei,  who  was  the 
last  man  to  follow  in  the  conventional  style  of  other 
engineers,  would  have  proceeded  with  his  work  in 
an  entirely  independent  way,  and  with  a  mode  of 
detail  completely  his  own,  as  indeed  he  did  in  this 
instance,  and  which  he  carried  out  in  his  usual 
dauntless  manner,  well  worthy  of  the  master  mind 
he  undoubtedly  possessed. 

In  the  previous  chapter  we  mentioned  that  the 
Great  Western  Railway  upon  one  occasion  proposed 
to  use  the  Euston  Station  as  a  terminus  jointly  with 
the  London  and  Birmingham  Railway,  the  idea  being 


io       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

that  the  former  railway  should  join  the  latter  on  the 
London  side  of  the  present  Willesden  Junction,  or 
as  the  Act  of  Incorporation  defines  it,  'in  a  certain 
field  lying  between  the  Paddington  Canal  and  the 
turnpike  road  leading  from  London  to  Harrow,  on 
the  western  side  of  the  General  Cemetery.' 

This  then  accounts  for  the  Great  Western  Rail- 
way approaching  so  closely  to  the  London  and 
North-Western  Railway  at  Wormwood  Scrubs,  near 
Willesden  Junction. 

Most   writers   have    stated  that  the  difference   in 


THE  ORIGINAL  PADDINGTON  TERMINUS,  1845. 

gauge  of  the  two  lines  caused  the  abandonment  of 
the  proposed  joint  station  at  Euston  Square,  but  this 
is  incorrect,  the  real  reason  being  a  difference  between 
the  two  Companies  as  to  their  respective  rights  of 
using  the  4  miles  of  line  from  Willesden  to  Euston 
Square.  Although  the  Company  had  no  Act  for  the 
construction  of  the  line  from  Wormwood  Scrubs  to 
Paddington,  the  Directors  made  but  little  stir  about 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  1 1 

such  an  important  preliminary,  but  commenced  to 
purchase  the  necessary  land  and  to  build  the  line, 
obtaining  official  sanction  for  their  proceedings  after- 
wards. 

The  Act  for  the  extension  to  Paddington,  and  for 
the  erection  of  the  station  '  in  a  certain  field  at 
Paddington,'  was  obtained  in  1836.  It  will  be  well 
to  describe  this  station  at  once,  since  it  is  the  starting 
point  of  the  Great  Western  Railway  system.  The 
original  structure  was  quite  a  temporary  one,  the 
booking  offices  being  under  the  Bishop's  Road  Bridge. 
The  original  station  is  depicted  in  the  illustration 
opposite.  The  present  station  was  not  commenced 
till  1849,  and  was  completed  in  1854. 

It  is  the  Paddington  departure  platform  that  is 
depicted  in  Mr  Frith's  inimitable  picture,  and  one  of 
the  principal  figures  there  portrayed  (Mr  Craig,  the 
ticket  inspector,)  only  retired  from  active  service  at 
the  station  towards  the  end  of  1893.  This  picture 
always  had  a  great  charm  for  the  writer,  and  when 
as  a  little  boy  he  first  went  to  a  boarding  school,  he 
distinctly  remembers  that,  upon  being  ushered  into 
the  library  to  see  the  headmaster,  an  engraving 
of  this  picture  which  hung  upon  the  wall  completely 
engaged  his  attention,  and  in  a  measure  drove  away 
his  sense  of  loneliness  and  natural  desire  to  return 
with  his  father,  although  he  had  never  before  slept 
from  beneath  the  paternal  roof. 

The  platforms  are  700  feet  long,  the  width  of 
the  building  being  238  feet  ;  the  roof  is  divided  by 
two  rows  of  columns  into  three  spans,  the  outside 
ones  being  each  68  feet  wrde,  and  the  middle  one 
1 02  feet.  These  are  crossed  at  two  places  by  tran- 
septs each  50  feet  wide,  the  total  area  being  70  acres. 
The  architecture  is  a  mixture  of  Italian  and  Arabesque. 
The  original  cost  of  this  station  is  stated  to  have 
been  ,£650,000.  With  regard  to  the  levels  of  the 
railway,  Paddington  Station  is  50  feet  higher  than 
Bristol  Station.  For  the  first  2%-  miles  the  line  rises 


1 2       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

3  feet  per  mile.  At  2f  miles  from  Paddington  the 
line  was  crossed  on  a  level  at  right  angles  by  the 
Birmingham,  Bristol  and  Thames  Junction  Railway, 
incorporated  2ist  June  1836.  This  line  is  now  known 
as  the  West  London  Railway,  and  is  leased  to  the 
London  and  North  Western  and  Great  Western 
Railways  jointly  for  999  years,  from  nth  March 
1845,  at  a  rent  of  ^1800  per  annum. 

At  this  spot  the  London  and  North  Western  and 
Great  Western  Railways  are  only  a  third  of  a  mile 
apart.  The  West  London  line  had  here  an  unusual 
structure,  on  the  lowest  level  of  which,  in  a  tunnel, 
was  the  railway ;  on  the  ground  level,  the  Paddington 
Canal  crossing  the  line  at  right  angles  by  means  of 
an  aqueduct,  and  above  this  a  public  road  bridge 
across  the  canal.  This  level  crossing  existed  till 
1860,  when  the  Great  Western  Railway,  having  in 
the  previous  year  obtained  powers,  deviated  the  rail- 
way and  substituted  an  over  bridge  for  the  level 
crossing.  The  line  rises  4  feet  in  the  mile  till  the 
7-j-  mile  post  is  reached,  and  here  we  have  one  of 
the  many  remarkable  engineering  achievements  for 
which  this  line  is  famous — the  Wharncliffe  Viaduct. 
The  Great  Western  Railway  was  at  the  time  of  its 
construction  truly  described  as  '  the  most  gigantic 
work,  not  only  in  Great  Britain,  not  only  in  Europe, 
but  in  the  entire  world,'  and  taking  the  Great 
Western  Railway  system  in  its  completeness  as  it 
exists  to-day,  the  words  still  remain  true  despite  the 
very  many  stupendous  engineering  triumphs  that  have 
since  been  gained  in  other  parts  of  the  Universe. 
Nor  did  Brunei  himself  underrate  the  importance  of 
the  work  he  was  engaged  in,  for  on  the  26th  December 
1835  he  wrote  in  his  diary  this  short  but  expressive 
sentence  : — '  I  am  engineer  to  the  finest  work  in 
England.' 

The  first  important  edifice  '  on  the  finest  work  in 
England '  is  this  Hanwell  Viaduct,  called  the  Wharn- 
cliffe Viaduct  in  honour  of  Lord  Wharncliffe,  the 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  13 

Chairman  of  the  Committee  in  the  House  of  Lords 
that  passed  the  Great  Western  Railway  Bill.  It  is  to 
this  nobleman's  enlightened  intelligence  that  railways 
are  also  indebted  for  the  title  of  Wharncliffe  Meeting, 
as  applied  to  the  principal  statutory  meetings  of  their 
shareholders. 

The  WharnclifTe  Viaduct  spans  the  valley  of  the 
Brent,  which  rises  at  Mill  Hill  and,  proceeding  by  a 
winding  course,  enters  the  Thames  at  Brentford.  The 
ravine  to  be  crossed  by  the  railway  is  70  feet  deep, 
and  the  viaduct  is  896  feet  long  and  30  feet  wide  ;  it 
is  supported  by  eight  elliptical  arches  with  a  spring  of 
1 8  feet  and  a  span  of  70  feet.  The  piers  from  which 
these  arches  spring  have  a  broad  brick  platform  as  a 
foundation,  a  pair  of  immense  columns  rise  from  these, 
and  their  summits  are  united  by  massive  architraves, 
and  so  form  single  piers  from  which  the  elliptical 
arches  spring.  When  first  erected,  an  engineer  thus 
described  the  viaduct  : — '  The  shafts  are  brick,  but  the 
capitals  are  formed  of  large  stone  blocks,  swelling  out 
with  a  gentle  sweep,  and  ending  in  a  massive  bold 
torus.  The  architrave  is  also  of  stone,  and  a  second 
course  of  stone  blocks  above  it,  tapered  to  an  obtuse 
angle,  serves  at  once  as  a  finish  to  the  column  on  the 
side  view,  and  as  a  skew  back  to  both  the  arches  which 
spring  from  it  on  opposite  sides.  Each  column  taken 
by  itself  is  thus  an  architectural  whole  ;  and  each  pair 
connected  below  by  the  square  basement,  and  uniting 
above  in  the  same  architrave,  forms  a  handsome  and 
consistent  pier.  The  string  course  above  the  arches, 
by  which  all  these  are  connected,  is  of  the  same  kind 
of  stone — bold,  similar  in  style,  but  smaller  than  the 
mouldings  on  the  capitals  of  the  piers,  and  the  parapet 
is  surmounted  by  a  square  stone  coping.  The  abut- 
ments have  a  still  more  solid  character,  and  the  whole 
produces  the  effect  of  strength  without  heaviness, 
massiveness  without  inelegance,  in  such  perfect  har- 
mony with  the  great  purposes  of  railway  construction 
as  to  render  this  bridge  a  remarkable  instance  of 


14       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

successful  architectural  invention.  As  a  piece  of 
masonry  the  work  is  also  perfect ;  it  is  everywhere 
accurately  formed,  well  put  together,  dry,  and  in  good 
condition.  The  arches  consist  of  eight  courses  of 
brick  about  36  inches  in  thickness.  No  one  should 
leave  this  bridge  without  going  under  one  of  the 
extreme  arches  and  looking  along  through  the  open- 
ings in  the  piers  to  the  other  extremity,  where  he  will 
see  a  cyclopean  colonnade  stretching  far  away  in  dis- 
tant perspective,  and  carry  away  with  him  a  memor- 
able and  not  unpleasing  impression.' 

Adjoining  the  viaduct  is  an  immense  earth  embank- 
ment— the  largest  on  the  line — being  three-quarters  of 
a  mile  in  length  and  about  70  feet  high,  the  foundation 
being  of  clay,  but  composed  of  all  sorts  of  other  things,' 
so  the  Great  Western  officials  used  to  say.  A  remark- 
able fact  in  connection  with  this  embankment  was  its 
disappearance.  The  subsoil  on  which  the  clay  sur- 
face rested  was  of  a  treacherous  description,  and  the 
immense  weight  of  the  materials  forming  the  embank- 
ment caused  the  subsoil  to  give  way,  and  the  clay  and 
other  materials  sunk  from  view,  but  the  continual 
pressure  of  the  upper  part  of  the  embankment  forced 
the  foundation  along  the  surface  of  the  slippery 
stratum,  and  where  this  cropped  out  again  the  lower 
part  of  the  embankment  arose  on  either  side  of  its 
original  site.  Shortly  after  the  viaduct,  the  line 
crosses  the  Uxbridge  Road  by  a  skew  bridge  of 
peculiar  design  (one  of  the  girders  of  this  bridge  gave 
way  in  1839,  but  the  contractor  had  to  replace  it  at 
his  own  expense).  It  was  at  first  partly  composed 
of  wood,  and  a  few  years  later  was  burnt  down, 
but  rebuilt  afterwards,  when  it  was  made  entirely  of 
iron. 

The  line  continues  to  rise  4  feet  per  mile  till  9f 
miles  from  Paddington  is  reached,  when  for  half  a  mile 
the  line  is  level ;  this  is  the  first  summit,  and  the  Pad- 
dington and  Grand  Junction  Canals  are  here  crossed 
over  by  bridges.  The  line  then  falls  for  2^  miles  at 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  15 

the  ruling  gradient  of  4  feet  per  mile.  This  brings  us 
to  West  Drayton,  13  miles  from  London,  the  first 
principal  station,  and  the  place  where  the  original  loco- 
motives were  delivered  by  canal  and  placed  upon  the 
rails  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr  Daniel  Gooch, 
the  first  locomotive  superintendent  of  the  railway. 
The  line  is  level  to  the  15^  mile  post.  Shortly  after  the 
*  Dog  Kennel '  Bridge  is  passed  through,  the  line  falls 
at  the  usual  rate  till  1 7^  miles  are  reached,  it  then  rises 
2  feet  in  the  mile  to  the  twentieth  mile  post.  The  first 
portion  of  the  line  completed  was  from  West  Drayton 
to  the  Dog  Kennel  Bridge.  Slough  Station  is  18 
miles  from  Paddington,  and  is  the  first  of  the  first-class 
ones  on  the  line.  Acting  on  the  old  idea  that  railways 
and  trains  were  only  roads  and  coaches  of  an  improved 
description,  this  station  was  built  on-one  side  of  the  line 
only,  with  a  single  platform  at  which  both  the  up  and 
down  trains  stopped.  The  station  was  indeed  meant 
to  be  a  roadside  inn,  and  the  platform  the  '  Pull 
up'  for  the  coaches.  Reading,  the  next  important 
station,  was  also  built  on  this  principle,  and  is  only 
now  being  modernised.  The  first  section  of  the  line 
extended  to  the  London  side  of  the  river  at  Maiden- 
head, 23  miles  from  Paddington.  Having  reached 
this  point,  it  will  be  well  to  describe  the  peculiari- 
ties of  the  original  system  of  permanent  way  employed 
on  this  portion  of  the  railway,  which  was  of  such  an 
unsatisfactory  nature  that  it  was  all  taken  up,  resulting 
in  a  dead  loss  of  capital  of  ,£97,267,  2s.  5d.,  which  was 
the  cost  of  relaying  that  part  of  the  line  ;  the  work  was 
spread  over  several  years,  not  being  finally  completed 
till  1846. 

But  before  doing  so,  we  will  mention  that  the  first 
great  point  of  difference  between  the  Great  Western 
Railway  and  other  railways  was  the  gauge.  No  settled 
one  had  been  decided,  several  different  ones  being  in 
use,  but  none  were  so  wide  as  the  7  feet  one  adopted  by 
Mr  Brunei  for  the  Great  Western  Railway.  The  en- 
tire width  of  the  line  was  30  feet,  made  up  as  follows  :— 


1 6       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Rails,   up  and   down    line,   7   feet 

gauge,       .         .         .         .         .14  feet 
Width  between  up  and  down  line,         6    ,, 
Space  on  the  outside  of  up  and 

down  line,  5  feet  each,        .         .        10    ,, 


30  feet 

while  the  extreme  width  of  the  Manchester  and  Liver- 
pool Railway  was  only  19  feet  8  inches. 

The  original  reason  given  by  Mr  Brunei  for  adopt- 
ing the  7  feet  was,  that  it  would  allow  of  larger  wheels 
being  used,  so  that  the  bodies  of  the  carriages  fitted  in 
between  the  wheels  like  ordinary  road  coaches ;  only 
one  carriage,  however,  appears  to  have  been  built  on 
this  principle. 

The  bridges  were  16  feet  high  as  compared  with 
13  feet  6  inches  on  other  lines ;  other  points  of  differ- 
ence were  the  levelness'  of  the  railway  compared  with 
other  railways,  most  of  the  difference  being  collected 
in  two  places,  at  which  it  was  proposed  to  use  addi- 
tional engine  power ;  continuous  timber  bearings  in 
place  of  stone  blocks  or  cross  sleepers ;  '  bridge '  pat- 
tern rails  ;  and  larger  radii  of  the  curves.  Mr  N.  Wood 
thus  describes  the  original  permanent  way  : — '  The  rails 
are  longitudinal  and  are  14  to  15  inches  wide  and  6  or 
7  inches  thick,  and  are  made  of  American  pine,  the 
sleepers  are  6  inches  in  breadth  and  7  inches  deep, 
the  transverse  sleepers  6  inches  in  breadth  and  9 
inches  deep.  These  sleepers  are  stretched  across  the 
line  of  railway,  and  to  them  the  longitudinal  rails  are 
secured,  the  piles  in  the  cuttings  are  from  9  to  14  feet 
in  length,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  material,  and 
in  the  embankments  12  to  30  feet,  or  of  such  a  length 
as  that  they  will  reach  from  the  base  or  formation  line 
of  the  railway  6  to  8  feet  into  the  original  surface  of 
the  ground.  The  cross  ties  are  American  pine,  and 
the  piles  of  beech.  The  piles  were  driven  at  intervals 
of  every  15  feet,  and  in  the  middle  between  the  longi- 
tudinal rails.  In  cuttings  they  are  driven  from  8  to  10 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  17 

feet  into  the  ground  below  the  level  of  the  cross 
sleepers,  and  on  embankments  they  must  be  of  such  a 
length  as  to  be  driven  about  the  same  depth,  or  7  or  8 
feet  into  the  original  ground.  Upon  an  embankment 
of  3  feet  they  must  be,  therefore,  10  or  12  feet  long; 
6  feet,  13  to  14  feet  long,  and  so  on,  according  to  the 
height  of  the  embankment  and  the  kind  of  subsoil  into 
which  they  are  to  be  driven.  The  double  cross 
timbers  are  laid  down  13  inches,  and  the  single  timbers 
9  inches  below  the  line  of  the  rails.  Between  the 
double  timbers,  and  also  at  all  the  other  points  where 
the  longitudinal  rails  intersect  the  cross  timbers,  a 
piece  of  wood  is  interposed,  which  is  pinned  to  the 
cross  timbers  and  upon  which  the  longitudinal  rails 
rest.  The  longitudinal  rails  are  then  laid  down  upon 
the  cross  timbers,  the  upper  surface  of^which  is  3  inches 
below  the  surface  of  the  iron  rails  ;  they  are  bolted  to 
the  cross  timbers  with  screw  bolts  and  washers. 
When  the  timbers  have  all  been  throughly  packed  up, 
and  rammed  and  strained  to  the  utmost,  and  the 
general  levels  of  the  whole  found  to  be  correct,  then 
the  upper  surface  of  the  longitudinal  timbers  is  adzed, 
or  planed  down  to  one  uniform  surface.  A  plank  of 
hard  wood,  American  elm,  oak  or  ash,  about  \\  inches 
thick  and  8  inches  broad,  is  then  laid  upon  the  longi- 
tudinal timbers,  the  upper  surface  being  sloped  in- 
wards at  an  angle  of  I  in  20.  This  hard  wood  plank  is 
laid  on  with  a  good  thick  bed  of  tar,  and  nailed  down 
with  2  shilling  nails,  these  nails  being  driven  in  two 
parallel  rows,  2^-  and  5^-  inches  apart  on  each  timber, 
so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  bolts,  the  heads  of  the 
nails  are  well  punched  in,  to  allow  of  planing  the  wood. 
The  surfaces  of  all  joints  and  butts,  and  the  whole  of 
the  bottom  and  sides  of  the  longitudinal  timbers ;  all 
bolts,  washers,  keys,  spikes  and  nails,  and  all  other 
ironwork  are  well  tarred. 

'  The  rail  used  weighs  from  43  to  44  Ibs.  per  yard, 
and  which  rests  upon  and  is  secured  to  the  hard  wood 
plank  and  timbers  of  the  longitudinal  sills  in  the  fol- 


1 8       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

lowing  manner  : — The  upper  surface  of  the  hard  wood 
is  planed  and  levelled,  the  iron  rails  are  then  laid  down 
perfectly  straight,  and  fitting  each  other  at  the  joinings 
correctly.  A  space  is  allowed  at  each  joint  for  the  ex- 
pansion and  contraction,  and  the  joints  are  made  to 
correspond  with  each  other  on  opposite  sides  of  the 
railway.  The  rail  is  fastened  to  the  hard  wood  and 
longitudinal  sills  by  screw  bolts,  a  piece  of  felt  being 
interposed  between  the  base  of  the  rails  and  the  timber. 
The  outside  screws  have  square  heads,  but  the  inside 
screws  are  made  with  counter-sunk  heads,  on  account 
of  the  flange  of  the  wheel.  The  outside  screw  is  tight- 
ened until  the  rail  fits  close  to  the  timber ;  the  inner 
one  is  next  screwed  as  tight  as  possible ;  a  roller 
weighing  about  10  tons  is  then  passed  two  or  three 
times  along  the  rails,  which  is  followed  close  by  the 
screwing,  and,  consequently,  the  bolts  are  thus  much 
more  firmly  screwed  than  could  be  done  by  any  screw- 
driver alone.  The  rails  have  a  slight  bevel  inwards.' 

As  early  as  1836  a  section  of  the  shareholders, 
chiefly  those  in  the  north  of  England,  who,  in  conse- 
quence of  their  location,  were  probably  prejudiced  in 
favour  of  the  narrow  gauge,  commenced  to  complain 
of  the  gauge  of  the  Great  Western  Railway.  This 
was  in  a  measure  quieted  by  the  Directors'  Report, 
issued  on  25th  August  1836;  but  two  years  later, 
soon  after  the  opening  of  the  line,  the  agitations  broke 
out  with  renewed  vigour,  in  consequence  of  which  Mr 
Brunei  prepared  an  elaborate  report,  defending  his 
method  of  construction,  etc.  We  give  this  report 
here,  as  it  fully  describes  the  state  of  affairs  at  this  time. 


REPORT  TO  THE  BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS  OF  THE 
GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY  COMPANY. 

\$th  August  1838. 

GENTLEMEN, — As    the    endeavour    to   obtain    the 
opinions  and  reports  of  Mr  Walker,  Mr  Stephenson, 


T/ie  Construction  of  the  Line.  19 

and  Mr  Wood,  prior  to  the  next  half-yearly  meeting, 
has  not  been  successful,  I  am  anxious  to  record  more 
fully  than  I  have  previously  done,  and  to  combine  them 
into  one  report,  my  own  views  and  opinions  upon  the 
success  of  the  several  plans  which  have  been  adopted 
at  my  recommendation  in  the  formation  and  in  the 
working  of  our  line.  And  in  justice  to  myself  and  to 
these  plans,  and,  indeed,  to  enable  others  to  arrive  at 
any  just  conclusion  as  to  the  result  which  has  been 
attained,  or  as  to  the  probable  ultimate  success  or 
advantages  of  the  system,  it  is  necessary  that  I  should 
enter  very  fully,  I  fear  even  tediously,  into  a  recapitu- 
lation of  the  circumstances  peculiar  to  this  railway, 
which  led  to  the  consideration  and  adoption  of  these 
plans,  which  some  call  innovations  and  wide  deviations 
from  the  results  of  past  experience,  but  the  majority 
of  which  I  will  undertake  to  show  are  merely  adapta- 
tions of  those  plans  to  our  particular  circumstances. 
It  will  be  necessary  also  that  I  should  refer  to  all  the 
numerous  difficulties  which  we  have  had  to  encounter, 
which  have  necessarily  prevented  the  perfect  working 
of  these  plans  in  the  first  instance,  but  which  have  been 
overcome,  or  which  are  gradually  and  successively 
diminishing ;  and,  finally,  I  am  prepared  to  show  that, 
notwithstanding  the  novelty  of  the  circumstances,  and 
the  difficulties  and  delays  which  at  the  outset  invari- 
ably attend  any  alteration,  however  necessary  or  de- 
sirable, from  the  accustomed  mode  of  proceeding,  and 
notwithstanding  the  violent  prejudices  excited  against 
us,  and  the  increased  difficulties  caused  by  these  pre- 
judices, the  result  is  still  such  as  to  justify  the  attempt 
which  has  been  made,  and  to  show  that  in  the  main 
features,  if  not  in  all  the  details,  the  system  hitherto 
followed  is  good,  and  ought  to  be  pursued. 

The  peculiarity  of  the  circumstances  of  this  rail- 
way, to  which  I  would  more  particularly  refer,  and 
which  have  frequently  been  mentioned,  consists  in 
the  unusually  favourable  gradients  and  curves  which 
we  have  been  able  to  obtain.  With  the  capabilities 


2O       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

of  carrying  the  line  upwards  of  50  miles  out  of 
London  on  almost  a  dead  level,  and  without  any  objec- 
tionable curve,  and  having  beyond  this,  and  for  the 
whole  distance  to  Bristol,  excellent  gradients,  it  was 
thought  that  unusually  high  speed  might  easily  be 
attained,  and  that  the  very  large  extent  of  passenger 
traffic,  which  such  a  line  would  certainly  command, 
would  ensure  a  return  for  any  advantages  which  could 
be  offered  to  the  public,  either  in  increased  speed  or 
increased  accommodations. 

With  this  view,  every  possible  attention  was  paid 
to  the  improvement  of  the  line  as  originally  laid  down 
in  the  parliamentary  plans.  We  ultimately  succeeded 
in  determining  a  maximum  gradient  of  4  feet  per  mile, 
which  could  be  maintained  for  the  unusual  distance 
before  mentioned  of  upwards  of  50  miles  from  London, 
and  also  between  Bristol  and  Bath,  comprehending 
those  parts  of  the  line  on  which  the  principal  portion 
of  the  passenger  traffic  will  be  carried.  The  attain- 
ment of  high  speed  appeared  to  involve  the  question 
of  the  width  of  gauge,  arid  on  this  point,  accordingly, 
I  expressed  my  opinion  at  a  very  early  period.  It 
has  been  asserted  that  4  feet  8  inches,  the  width 
adopted  on  the  Liverpool  and  Manchester  Railway,  is 
exactly  the  proper  width  for  all  railways,  and  that 
to  adopt  any  other  dimension  is  to  deviate  from  a 
positive  rule  which  experience  has  proved  correct ; 
but  such  an  assertion  can  be  maintained  by  no  reason- 
ing. Admitting,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that,  under 
the  particular  circumstances  in  which  it  has  been  tried, 
4  feet  8  inches  has  been  proved  the  best  possible 
dimension,  the  question  would  still  remain — What  are 
the  best  dimensions  under  the  circumstances?  Al- 
though a  breadth  of  4  feet  8  inches  has  been  found 
to  create  a  certain  resistance  on  curves  of  a  certain 
radius,  a  greater  breadth  would  only  produce  the 
same  resistance  on  curves  of  greater  radius.  If 
carriages  and  engines,  and  more  particularly  if  wheels 
and  axles  of  a  certain  weight,  have  not  been  found 


Tke  Construction  of  the  Line.  21 

inconvenient  upon  one  railway,  greater  weights  may 
be  employed  and  the  same  results  obtained  on  a 
railway  with  better  gradients.  To  adopt  a  gauge 
of  the  same  number  of  inches  on  the  Great  Western 
Railway  as  are  on  the  Grand  Junction  Railway,  would, 
in  fact,  amount  practically  to  the  use  of  a  different 
gauge  in  similar  railways.  The  gauge  which  is  well 
adapted  to  the  one  is  not  well  adapted  to  the  other, 
unless,  indeed,  some  mysterious  cause  exists  which 
has  never  yet  been  explained  for  the  empirical  law 
which  would  fix  the  gauge  under  all  circumstances. 

Fortunately  this  no  longer  requires  to  be  argued, 
as  too  many  authorities  may  now  be  quoted  in  sup- 
port of  a  very  considerable  deviation  from  this  pre- 
scribed width,  and  in  every  case  this  change  has 
been  an  increase.  I  take  it  for  granted  that  in  deter- 
mining the  dimensions  in  each  case  due  regard  has 
been  had  to  the  curves  and  gradients  of  the  line  which 
ought  to  form  a  most  essential  if  not  the  principal 
condition.  In  the  report  of  the  Commissioners  upon 
Irish  railways,  the  arguments  are  identically  the  same 
with  those  which  I  used  when  first  addressing  you  on 
the  subject  in  my  report  of  October  1835. 

The  mechanical  advantage  to  be  gained  by  in- 
creasing the  diameter  of  the  carriage  wheels  is  pointed 
out,  the  necessity  to  attain  this,  of  increasing  the 
width  of  way,  the  dimensions  of  the  bridges,  tunnels 
and  other  principal  works,  not  being  materially  affected 
by  this ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  circumstance 
which  limits  this  increase  being  the  curves  on  the 
line,  and  the  increased  proportional  resistance  on 
inclinations  (and  on  this  account  it  is  stated  to  be 
almost  solely  applicable  to  very  level  lines) ;  and  lastly, 
the  increased  expense,  which  could  be  justified  only 
by  a  very  large  traffic.  The  whole  is  clearly  argued 
in  a  general  point  of  view  and  then  applied  to  the 
particular  case,  and  the  result  of  this  application  is 
the  recommendation  of  the  adoption  of  6  feet  2  inches 
on  the  Irish  railways.  Thus  an  increase  in  the 


22       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

breadth  of  way  to  attain  one  particular  object,  viz., 
the  capability  of  increasing  the  diameter  of  the 
carriage  wheels  without  raising  the  bodies  of  the 
carriages,  is  admitted  to  be  most  desirable,  but  is 
limited  by  certain  circumstances,  namely,  the  gradients 
and  curves  of  the  line,  and  the  extent  of  traffic. 
Every  argument  here  adduced  and  every  calculation 
would  tend  to  the  adoption  of  about  7  feet  on  the 
Great  Western  Railway. 

The  gradients  of  the  lines  laid  down  by  the  Irish 
Commission  are  considerably  steeper  than  those  of 
the  London  and  Birmingham  Railway,  and  four  and 
five  times  the  inclination  of  those  on  the  Great 
Western  Railway.  The  curves  are  by  no  means  of 
very  large  radius,  and,  indeed,  the  Commissioners, 
after  fixing  the  gauge  of  6  feet  2  inches,  express 
their  opinion  that,  upon  examination  into  the  ques- 
tion of  curves,  with  a  view  to  economy,  they  do 
not  find  the  effect  is  so  injurious  as  might  have 
been  anticipated,  and  imply  therefore  that  curves, 
generally  considered  of  small  radius  on  our  English 
lines,  are  not  incompatible  with  the  6  feet  2  inch 
gauge ;  and  lastly,  the  traffic,  instead  of  being  un- 
usually large  so  as  to  justify  any  expense  beyond 
that  absolutely  required,  is  such  as  to  render  assist- 
ance from  Government  necessary  to  ensure  a  return 
for  the  capital  embarked.  As  compared  with  this, 
what  are  the  circumstances  in  our  case  ? 

The  object  to  be  obtained,  is  the  placing  an 
ordinary  coach  body,  which  is  upwards  of  6  feet 
6  inches  in  width  between  wheels.  This  necessarily 
involves  a  gauge  of  rail  about  6  feet  io|r  inches  to 
6  feet  ii  inches,  but  7  feet  allows  of  it  being  done 
easily ;  it  allows,  moreover,  of  a  different  arrange- 
ment of  the  body ;  it  admits  of  all  sorts  of  carriages, 
stage  coaches  and  carts  to  be  carried  between  the 
wheels.  And  what  are  the  limits  in  the  case  of 
the  Great  Western  Railway,  as  compared  to  those 
on  the  Irish  railways  ?  Gradients  of  one-fifth  the 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  23 

inclination,  very  favourable  curves,  and  probably  the 
largest  traffic  in  England.  I  think  it  unnecessary 
to  say  another  word  to  show  that  the  Irish  Com- 
missioners would  have  arrived  at  7  feet  on  the  Great 
Western  Railway  by  exactly  the  same  train  of  argu- 
ment that  led  them  to  adopt  6  feet  2  inches  in  the 
case  then  before  them.  All  these  arguments  were 
advanced  by  me  in  my  first  report  to  you,  and  the 
subject  well  considered.  The  circumstance  of  the 
Great  Western  Railway,  and  other  principal  rail- 
ways likely  to  extend  beyond  it,  having  no  connec- 
tion with  other  lines  then  made,  leaving  us  free  from 
any  prescribed  dimension,  the  7  feet  gauge  was 
ultimately  determined  upon. 

Many  objections  were  certainly  urged  against  it; 
the  deviation  from  the  established  4/eet  8  inches  was 
then  considered  as  the  abandonment  of  the  principle. 
This,  however,  was  a  mere  assertion,  unsupported  even 
by  plausible  argument,  and  was  gradually  disused ;  but 
objections  were  still  urged  that  the  original  cost  of 
construction  of  all  the  works  connected  with  the  for- 
mation of  the  line  must  be  greatly  increased,  that  the 
carriages  must  be  so  much  stronger,  that  they  would 
be  proportionately  heavier,  that  they  would  not  run 
round  the  curves,  and  would  be  more  liable  to  run  off 
the  rails,  and,  particularly,  that  the  increased  length  of 
the  axles  would  render  them  liable  to  be  broken  ;  and 
these  objections  were  not  advanced  as  difficulties 
which,  as  existing  in  all  railways,  might  be  somewhat 
increased  by  the  increase  of  gauge,  but  as  peculiar  to 
this  and  fatal  to  the  system.  With  regard  to  the  first 
objection,  namely,  the  increased  cost  in  the  original 
construction  of  the  line,  if  there  be  any,  it  is  a  question 
of  calculation  which  is  easily  estimated,  and  was  so 
estimated  before  the  increased  gauge  was  determined 
upon.  Here,  however,  preconceived  opinions  have 
been  allowed  weight,  in  lieu  of  arguments  and 
calculations  cause  and  effect  are  mixed  up,  and  with- 
out much  consideration  it  was  assumed  at  once  that  an 


24       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

increased  gauge  necessarily  involved   width    of   way, 
and  dimensions  of  bridges,  tunnels,  etc. 

Yet  such  is  not  the  case  within  the  limits  we  are 
now  treating  of ;  a  7  feet  rail  requires  no  wider  bridge 
or  tunnel  than  a  5  feet ;  the  breadth  is  governed  by  a 
maximum  width  allowed  for  a  loaded  waggon,  or  the 
largest  load  to  be  carried  on  the  railway,  and  the  clear 
space  to  be  allowed  on  either  side  beyond  this.  On 
the  Manchester  and  Liverpool  Railway  this  total 
breadth  is  only  9  feet  10  inches,  and  the  bridge  and 
viaducts  need  only  have  been  twice  this,  or  19  feet 
8  inches;  9  feet  10  inches  was  found,  however,  rather 
too  small,  and  in  the  London  and  Birmingham,  with 
the  same  width  of  way,  this  was  increased  to  1 1  feet 
by  widening  the  interval  between  the  two  rails.  In 
the  space  of  1 1  feet  allowed  for  each  rail,  a  7  feet 
gauge  might  be  placed  just  as  well  as  a  5  feet,  leaving 
the  bridges,  tunnels  and  viaducts  exactly  the  same, 
but  ii  feet  was  thought  by  some  still  too  narrow  ; 
and  when  it  is  remembered  that  this  barely  allows 
a  width  of  10  feet  for  loads,  whether  of  cotton,  wool, 
agricultural  produce,  or  other  light  goods,  and  which 
are  liable  also  to  be  displaced  in  travelling,  13  feet 
(which  has  been  fixed  upon  in  the  Great  Western 
Railway,  and  which  limits  the  maximum  breadth  under 
any  circumstances  to  about  12  feet)  will  not  be 
found  excessive. 

It  is  this  which  makes  the  mininium  width  actually 
required  under  bridges  and  tunnels  26  feet  instead  of 
22  feet,  and  not  the  increased  gauge. 

The  earthwork  is  slightly  affected  by  the  gauge, 
but  only  to  the  extent  of  2  feet  on  the  embankment, 
and  not  quite  so  much  in  the  cuttings  ;  but  what  in 
practice  has  been  the  result  ?  The  bridges  over  the 
railway  on  the  London  and  Birmingham  are  30  feet 
and  the  width  of  viaducts  28  feet ;  on  the  Great 
Western  Railway  they  are  both  30  feet.  No  great 
expense  is  therefore  incurred  on  these  items,  and 
certainly  a  very  small  one  compared  to  the  increased 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  25 

space  gained,  which,  as  I  have  stated,  is  from  10  to  12 
feet.  In  the  tunnels  exists  the  greatest  difference. 
On  the  London  and  Birmingham  Railway,  to  which  I 
refer  to  as  being  the  best  and  most  analagous  case  to 
that  of  the  Great  Western  Railway,  the  tunnels  are  24 
feet  wide.  On  the  Great  Western  Railway  the  con- 
stant width  of  30  feet  is  maintained,  more  with  a  view 
of  diminishing  the  objections  to  tunnels  and  maintaining 
the  same  minimum  space  which  hereafter  may  form  a 
limit  to  the  size  and  form  of  everything  carried  on 
the  railway,  than  from  such  a  width  being  absolutely 
necessary.  Without  pretending  to  find  fault  with  the 
dimensions  fixed,  and  which  have  no  doubt  been  well 
considered  upon  the  works  or  other  lines,  I  may  state 
that  the  principle  which  'has  governed  has  been  to  fix 
the  minimum  width,  and  to  make  all  the  works  the 
same,  considering  it  unnecessary  to  have  a  greater 
width  between  the  parapet  walls  of  a  viaduct,  which 
admits  of  being  altered,  than  between  the  walls  of  a 
tunnel  which  cannot  be  altered.  The  embankments  on 
the  London  and  Birmingham  Railway  are  26  feet,  on 
the  Great  Western  30  feet,  making  an  excess  of  about 
6|-  per  cent,  on  the  actual  quantity  of  earthwork.  The 
difference  in  the  quantity  of  land  required  is  under  half 
an  acre  to  a  mile.  On  the  whole,  the  increased 
dimensions  from  10  to  12  feet  will  not  cause  anv 

* 

average  increased  expense  in  the  construction  of  the 
works,  and  purchase  of  land  of  above  7  per  cent. — 
8  per  cent,  having  originally  been  assumed  in  my 
report  in  1835  as  the  excess  to  be  provided  for.  With 
respect  to  the  weight  of  the  carriages,  although  we 
have  wheels  of  4  feet  diameter,  instead  of  3  feet, 
which  of  course  involves  an  increased  weight  quite 
independent  of  the  increase  of  width,  and  although 
the  space  allowed  for  each  passenger  is  a  trifle  more, 
and  the  height  of  the  body  greater,  yet  the  gross 
weight  per  passenger  is  somewhat  less. 


26       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Tons.  Cwt.     Qrs.     Lbs. 

A  Birmingham  first-class  coach  weighs    317       2      o 
With  eighteen  passengers  at  fifteen 

to  the  ton  weighs         .         .         .1400 


o 


or  63 1  Ibs.  per  passenger  ; 

A  Great  Western  first-class  weighs       .  4    14      o      o 
And  with  twenty-four  passengers  weighs  112      o      o 


o 


or  588  Ibs.  per  passenger ; 

And  our  six-wheeled  first-class  weighs  6  1 1  o  o 
With  thirty-two  passengers  weighs  .2220 

8     13       2      o 

or  600  Ibs.  per  passenger  ; 

being  an  average  of  594  Ibs.  on  the  two  carriages. 
This  saving  of  weight  does  not  arise  from  the  in- 
creased width,  and  is  notwithstanding  the  increased 
strength  of  the  framing  and  the  increased  diameter 
and  weight  of  the  wheels.  I  have  not  weighed  our 
second-class  open  carriages,  but  I  should  think  the 
same  proportion  would  exist.  As  to  the  breaking  of 
axles  or  running  off  the  line,  the  practical  result  has 
been  that,  from  some  cause  or  other,  we  have  been 
almost  perfectly  free  from  those  very  objections  which 
have  been  felt  so  seriously  on  some  other  lines. 

Far  from  breaking  any  engine  axles,  not  even  a 
single  cranked  axle  has  been  strained,  although  the 
engines  have  been  subjected  to  rather  severe  trials. 
One  of  our  largest  having,  a  short  time  back,  been 
sent  along  the  line  at  night  when  it  was  not  expected, 
came  in  collision  with  some  ballast  waggons  and  was 
thrown  off  the  line  nearly  6  feet.  None  of  the  axles 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  27 

were  bent,  or  even  strained  in  the  least,  although  the 
front  of  the  carriage,  a  piece  of  oak  of  very  large 
scantling,  was  shattered. 

After  ten  weeks  running,  one  solitary  instance  has 
occurred  of  a  carriage  in  a  train  getting  off  the  line 
and  dragging  another  with  it,  and  which  was  not 
discovered  till  after  running  a  mile  and  a  half.  As 
the  carriage  was  in  the  middle  of  a  train,  and  one  end 
of  the  axle  was  thrown  completely  out  of  the  axle- 
guard,  there  must  evidently  have  been  some  extra- 
ordinary cause — possibly  a  plank  thrown  across  the 
railway  by  a  blow  from  the  carriage  which  preceded, 
and  which  might  have  produced  the  same  effect 
on  any  railway ;  and,  at  anyrate,  it  was  a  strong  trial 
to  the  axle,  which  was  not  broken  but  merely 
restored  to  its  place,  and  the  carnage  sent  on  to 
London.  The  same  mode  of  reasoning,  which  has 
by  some  been  used  in  favour  of  the  4  feet  8  inches 
gauge,  if  applied  here,  would  prove  that  long  axles 
are  stronger  than  short,  and  wide  rails  best  adapted 
for  curves.  All  that  I  think  proved,  however,  is  this, 
that  the  increased  tendency  of  the  axles  to  break,  or 
of  the  wheels  to  run  off  the  lines,  is  so  slight  that  it  is 
more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  increased  steadiness 
from  the  width  of  the  base  and  the  absence  of  those 
violent  strains  which  arise  from  irregularity  on  the 
gauge  and  the  harshness  of  the  ordinary  construction 
of  rails.  In  fact,  not  one  of  the  objections  originally 
urged  against  the  practical  working  of  the  wide  gauge 
has  been  found  to  exist,  while  the  object  sought  for  is 
obtained,  namely,  the  capability  of  increasing  at  any 
future  period  the  diameter  of  the  wheels,  which  cannot 
be  done,  however  desirable  it  may  hereafter  be  found, 
with  the  old  width  of  rail.  This  may  be  said  to  be 
only  prospective ;  but,  in  the  meantime,  contingent 
advantages  are  sensibly  felt  in  the  increased  lateral 
steadiness  of  the  carriages  and  engines,  and  the  greater 
space  which  is  afforded  for  the  works  of  the  loco- 
motives. 


28       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

And  here  I  wish  to  call  your  attentions  particularly 
to  the  fact  that  this  prospective  advantage — this  ab- 
sence of  a  most  convenient  limit  to  the  reduction  of 
the  friction,  which,  with  our  gradients,  form  four-fifths 
or  80  per  cent,  of  the  total  resistance — was  the  object 
sought  for,  and  that  at  the  time  of  recommending  it,  I 
expressly  stated  as  follows  : — '  I  am  not  by  any  means 
prepared  at  present  to  recommend  any  particular  size 
of  wheel,  or  even  any  great  increase  of  the  present 
dimensions,  I  believe  they  will  be  materially  increased  ; 
but  my  great  object  would  be  in  every  way  possible  to 
render  each  part  capable  of  improvement,  and  to  re- 
move what  appears  an  obstacle  to  any  great  progress 
in  such  a  very  important  point  as  the  diameter  of  the 
wheels,  upon  which  the  resistance,  which  governs  the 
cost  of  transport  and  the  speed  that  may  be  obtained, 
so  materially  depends.' 

These  advantages  were  considered  important  by 
you,  they  are  now  considered  so  by  many  others ;  and 
certainly  everything  which  has  occurred  in  the  prac- 
tical working  of  the  line  confirms  me  in  my  conviction 
that  we  have  secured  a  most  valuable  power  to  the 
Great  Western  Railway,  and  that  it  would  be  folly  to 
abandon  it.  The  next  point  I  shall  consider  is  the 
construction  of  the  engines,  the  modifications  in  which, 
necessary  to  adapt  them  to  higher  speeds  than  usual, 
have,  like  the  increased  width  of  gauge,  been  con- 
demned as  innovations.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  argue 
with  those  who  consider  any  increase  of  speed  un- 
necessary. The  public  will  always  prefer  that  con- 
veyance which  is  most  perfect,  and  speed  within  reason- 
able limits  is  a  material  ingredient  in  perfection  in 
travelling. 

A  rate  of  35  to  40  miles  an  hour  is  not  unfrequently 
attained  on  other  railways  in  descending  planes,  or 
with  light  loads  on  a  level,  and  is  found  practically  to 
be  attended  with  no  inconvenience.  To  maintain  such 
a  speed  with  regularity  on  a  level  line,  with  moderate 
loads,  is  therefore  quite  practicable  and  unquestionably 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  29 

desirable.  With  this  view  the  engines  were  con- 
structed, but  nothing  new  was  required  or  recom- 
mended by  me.  A  certain  velocity  of  the  piston  is 
considered  the  most  advantageous. 

The  engines  intended  for  slow  speeds  have  always 
had   the  driving   wheels    small  in   proportion    to    the 
length  of  stroke  of  the  piston.      The  faster  engines 
have  had  a  different  proportion.      The   wheels  have 
been    larger,    or   the   strokes    of  the    piston    shorter. 
From    the    somewhat    clamorous    objections     raised 
against  the  large  wheels,  and  the  construction  of  the 
Great    Western    Railway    engines,   and    the    opinions 
rather    freely  expressed  of  my  judgment  in  directing 
this  construction,  it  would  naturally  be  supposed  that 
some    established  principle  had  been  departed  from, 
and  that   I    had  recommended  this  departure.      The 
facts  are,  that  a  certain  velocity  of  piston  being  found 
most  advantageous,  I  fixed  this  velocity  so  that  the 
engines  should  be  adapted  to  run   35   miles  an  hour, 
and  capable  of  running  40 — as   the   Manchester  and 
Liverpool  Railway  engines  are  best  calculated  for  20 
to  25,  but  capable  of  running  easily  up  to  30  and   35 
miles  per  hour  ;    and  fixing  also  the  load  which   the 
engine  was  to  be  capable  of  drawing,  I  left  the  form 
of  construction    and   the   proportions  entirely  to   the 
manufacturers,    stipulating    merely   that    they    should 
submit  detail  drawings  to  me  for  my  approval.     This 
was  the    substance  of  the  circular,  which,  with  your 
sanction,  was  sent  to  several  of  the  most  experienced 
manufacturers.     Most  of  these  manufacturers  of  their 
own  accord,  and  without  previous  communication  from 
me,  adopted    the   large  wheels    as    a   necessary   con- 
sequence of  the  speed  required.      The  recommenda- 
tion   coming   from    such    quarters,    there   can    be    no 
necessity    for   defending    my   opinion    in    its    favour  ; 
neither  have  I  now  the  slightest  doubt  of  its  correct- 
ness.    As  it  has  been  supposed  that  the  manufacturers 
may  have  been  compelled  or  induced  by  me  to  adopt 
certain  modes  of  construction  or  certain  dimensions,  in 


3O       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

other  parts  by  a  specification — a  practice  which  has 
been  adopted  on  some  lines — and  that  these  restric- 
tions may  have  embarrassed  them,  I  should  wish  to 
take  this  opportunity  to  state  distinctly  that  this  is  not 
the  case.  I  have,  indeed,  strongly  recommended  to 
their  consideration  the  advantages  of  having  very 
large  and  well-formed  steam  passages,  which  generally 
they  have  adopted,  and  with  good  results ;  and  with 
this  single  exception,  if  it  can  be  considered  one,  they 
have  been  left  unfettered  by  me  (perhaps  too  much 
so)  and  uninfluenced,  except,  indeed,  by  the  prejudices 
and  fears  of  those  by  whom  they  have  been  sur- 
rounded, which  have  by  no  means  diminished  the 
difficulties  I  have  had  to  contend  with.  The  principal 
proportions  of  these  engines  being  those  which  have 
been  recommended  by  the  most  able  experimentalists 
and  writers,  and  these  having  been  adopted  by  the 
most  experienced  makers,  it  is  difficult  to  understand 
who  can  constitute  themselves  objectors,  or  what  can 
be  their  objections.  Even  if  these  engines  had  not 
been  found  effective,  at  least  it  must  be  admitted  that 
the  best  and  most  liberal  means  had  been  adopted  to 
procure  them  ;  but  I  am  far  from  asking  such  an 
admission.  The  engines,  I  think,  have  proved  to  be 
well  adapted  to  the  particular  task  for  which  they 
were  calculated,  namely,  high  speeds  —  but  circum- 
stances prevent  their  being  beneficially  applied  to  this 
purpose  at  present,  and  they  are,  therefore,  working 
under  great  disadvantages.  An  engine  constructed 
expressly  for  high  velocity  cannot,  of  course,  be  well 
adapted  to  exert  great  power  at  a  low  speed  ;  neither 
can  it  be  well  adapted  for  stopping  frequently  and  re- 
gaining its  speed.  But  such  was  not  the  intention 
when  these  engines  were  made,  neither  will  it  be  the 
case  when  the  arrangements  on  the  line  are  complete  ; 
in  the  meantime  our  average  rate  of  travelling  is  much 
greater  than  it  was  either  on  the  Grand  Junction  or 
Birmingham  Railway  within  the  same  period  of  the 
opening. 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  31 

I  have  but  one  serious  objection  to  make  to  our 
present  engines,  and  for  this,  strange  as  it  may  seem, 
I  feel  that  we  are  mainly  indebted  to  those  who  have 
been  most  loud  in  their  complaints — I  refer  to  the 
unnecessary  weight  of  the  engines.  There  is  nothing 
in  the  wide  gauge  which  involves  any  considerable 
increased  weight  in  the  engine.  An  engine  of  the 
same  power  and  capacity  for  speed,  whether  for  a  4 
feet  8  inch  rail  or  for  a  7  feet  rail,  will  have  identically 
the  same  boiler,  the  same  firebox,  the  same  cylinder 
and  piston  and  other  working  gear,  the  same  side 
frame,  and  the  same  wheels  ;  the  axles  and  the  cross- 
framing  will  alone  differ,  and  upon  these  alone  need 
there  be  any  increase,  but,  if  these  were  doubled  in 
weight,  the  difference  upon  the  whole  engine  would  be 
immaterial.  But  the  repeated  assertion,  frequently 
professing  to  come  from  experienced  authorities,  and 
repeated  until  it  was  supposed  to  be  proved,  that  the 
increased  gauge  must  require  increased  strength  and 
great  power,  was  not  without  its  indirect  effect  upon 
the  manufacturers.  Unnecessary  dimensions  have 
been  given  to  many  parts,  and  the  weight  thereby 
increased — rather  tending,  as  I  believe,  to  diminish 
than  to  add  to  the  strength  of  the  whole.  I  thought 
then,  and  I  believe  now,  that  it  would  have  been 
unwise  in  this  case  to  have  resisted  the  general 
opinion  and  taken  upon  myself  the  responsibility 
which  belonged  to  the  manufacturers ;  but  I  need 
not  now  hesitate  to  say  that  a  very  considerable 
reduction  may  be  effected,  and  that  no  such  unusual 
precautions  are  necessary  to  meet  these  anticipated 
strains  and  resistances — such  being,  in  fact,  imaginary. 
It  cannot  surprise  anybody  that  under  such  circum- 
stances attention  was  more  occupied  in  endeavouring 
to  meet  these  imaginary  prejudiced  objections,  than  in 
boldly  taking  advantage  of  the  new  circumstances,  and 
that  a  piece  of  machinery  constructed  under  such  dis- 
advantages was  not  likely  to  be  a  fair  sample  of  what 
might  be  done.  I  am  happy  to  say,  however,  that  the 


32       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

result  of  the  trials  that  have  been  made  has  entirely 
destroyed  all  credit  in  these  alarmists  with  the  manu- 
facturers, and  that  we  may  hope  in  future  to  have  the 
benefits  of  the  free  exercise  of  the  intelligence  and 
practical  knowledge  of  engine  manufacturers.  The 
mode  of  laying  the  rails  is  the  next  point  which  I 
shall  consider.  It  may  appear  strange  that  I  should 
again  in  this  case  disclaim  having  attempted  anything 
perfectly  new,  yet  regard  to  truth  compels  me  to 
do  so.  I  have  recommended,  in  the  case  of  the  Great 
Western,  the  principle  of  a  continuous  bearing  of 
timber  under  the  rail,  instead  of  isolated  supports— 
an  old  system  recently  revived,  and  as  such  I  described 
it  in  my  report  of  January  1836,  the  result  of  many 
hundred  miles  laid  in  this  manner  in  America,  and  of 
some  detached  portions  of  railways  in  England,  was 
quite  sufficient  to  prove  that  the  system  was  attended 
with  many  advantages  ;  but  since  we  first  adopted  it 
these  proofs  have  been  multiplied — there  need  now  be 
no  apprehension.  There  are  railways  in  full  work, 
upon  which  the  experiment  has  been  tried  sufficiently 
to  prove  beyond  doubt,  to  those  willing  to  be  con- 
vinced, that  a  permanent  way  in  continuous  bearings 
of  wood  may  be  constructed,  in  which  the  motion  will 
be  much  smoother,  the  noise  less,  and  consequently — 
for  they  are  effects  produced  by  the  same  cause — the 
wear  and  tear  of  the  machinery  much  less.  Such  a 
plan  is  certainly  best  adapted  for  high  speeds,  and  this 
is  the  system  recommended  by  me  and  adopted  on 
our  road.  There  are  no  doubt  different  modes  of 
construction,  and  that  which  I  have  adopted  as  an 
improvement  upon  others  may,  on  the  contrary,  be 
attended  with  disadvantages.  For  the  system  I  will 
strenuously  contend. 

But  I  should  be  sorry  to  enter  with  any  such  de- 
termined feeling  into  a  discussion  of  the  merits  of  the 
particular  mode  of  construction.  I  would  refer  to  my 
last  report  for  the  reasons  which  influenced  me,  and 
the  objects  I  had  in  view  in  introducing  the  piling ; 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  33 

that  part  which  had  been  made  under  my  own   eye 
answered  fully  all   my  expectations.     Here  the  piles 
did  answer  their  purpose,  and  no  inconvenience  re- 
sulted from  their  use.     The  difficulties  which  we  have 
since  encountered,  the  bad  state  in  which  the  line  was 
for  a  considerable  time,  and  which  is  only  recently  im- 
proved,   have   undoubtedly    been   aggravated,    if    not 
caused   by  these  piles ;    but  not  as   I   believe  from  a 
defect  in  the  principle,  as  applied  in  our  case,  where 
the  line  is  mostly  in  cutting,  or  on  the  surface,  but  from 
defective  execution  ;  for  notwithstanding  the  determin- 
ation to  allow  sufficient  time  for  this  most  important 
operation,  yet,  to  make  up  for  previous  delays  and  loss 
of  time,  it  became  necessary  at  last  to  force  forward  the 
work  more  rapidly  than  was  at  all  consistent  with  due 
care  in  the  execution  ;  and  during  the  whole  of  this 
period  I  was  most  unfortunately  prevented  by  a  serious 
accident  from  even  seeeing  the  work  almost  until  the 
day  of  opening,  when  I  ought  to  have  personally  sup- 
erintended the  whole.     I  do  not  mean  that  the  work 
was  neglected  by  those  whose  duty  it  was  to  supply 
my  place — far  from  it ;  but  in  such  a  case  a  new  work 
cannot  be  properly  directed,  except  under  the  eye  of 
the  master.     Following  exactly  the  plan  which  had 
succeeded  on  the  first  piece  completed,  several  serious 
faults  were  committed.     A  much  greater  density  and 
firmness  of  packing  is  required  than  was  previously 
supposed ;    the   mode   of  packing   adopted,    and   the 
material  selected,   in  the  first  instance,   have  proved 
defective  elsewhere ;    and  over  a  great  extent  in  the 
line,  particularly  in  the  clay  cuttings  and  where  the 
work  was  at  last  most  hurried  it  has  been  badly  ex- 
ecuted.     But  many  parts  have  stood  well  from  the 
commencement ;  others  are  fast  improving,  and  I  have 
the  satisfaction,  although  a  very  painful  one,  of  seeing 
that,  if  in   the  first    instance,  a  foundation  of  coarse 
gravel  had  been  everywhere  well  rammed  in  before  the 
timbers  had  been  laid,  and  the  packing  formed  upon 
this,  we  should  from  the  outset  have  obtained  as  solid 


34       ^  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

a  road  as  we  have  now  over  a  great  part  of  the 
line. 

What  we  have  been  able  to  effect  since  the  open- 
ing of  the  line  has  necessarily  been  a  slow,  expensive 
and  laborious  operation.  We  have  been  compelled  to 
open  the  ground,  and  excavate  it  to  a  depth  of  18 
inches  under  the  longitudinal  timbers,  and  this  without 
interrupting  the  traffic,  to  remove  the  whole  of  the 
material  thus  obtained  from  off  the  line,  and  to  replace 
it  by  coarse  ballast ;  and  not  having  the  means  of 
sufficiently  consolidating  this  ballast  by  ramming  while 
the  timber  is  in  its  place,  the  packing  has  to  be  re- 
peated once  or  twice  after  it  has  been  compressed  by 
the  passing  of  the  trains.  This  new  packing,  however, 
does  stand,  and  in  a  few  weeks  I  expect  the  line  will 
be  in  a  very  different  state  from  that  in  which  it  has 
been,  or  indeed  now  is. 

From  what  I  have  described  as  the  result  which 
can  now  be,  and  might  have  been,  obtained  from  the 
commencement,  it  will  be  inferred  that  I  am  disposed 
still  to  defend  the  system  of  piling.  I  certainly  could 
not  abandon  it  from  conviction  of  its  inefficiency,  for  I 
see  proofs  of  the  contrary ;  and  I  feel  that  under 
similar  circumstances  I  could  now  prevent  the  mischief 
which  has  occurred.  Upon  that  portion  of  the  line 
where  the  permanent  way  must  next  be  formed,  piling 
could  not  be  resorted  to,  the  ground  being  a  solid  hard 
chalk  for  many  miles.  I  had  intended,  however,  re- 
commending the  same  principle,  but  in  a  different 
form,  holding  down  the  longitudinals  by  small  iron 
rods  driven  into  the  chalk ;  but  the  same  objection 
could  not  exist,  because  the  chalk  cannot  yield  under 
the  timbers  like  clay,  or  even  gravel.  But  I  should 
wish  most  anxiously  to  avoid  anything  like  an  obstinate 
adherence  to  a  plan,  if  the  object  which  I  believe 
essential  can  be  obtained  by  other  means,  particularly 
when  that  plan  being  my  own,  I  may  be  somewhat 
prejudiced  in  its  favour.  I  find  that  the  system  of 
piling  involves  considerable  expense  in  the  first  con- 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  35 

struction,  and  requires  perhaps  too  great  a  perfection 
in  the  whole  work,  and  that  if  the  whole  or  part  of  this 
cost  were  expended  in  increased  scantling  of  timber 
and  weight  of  metal,  that  a  very  solid  continuous  rail 
would  be  formed.  For  this  as  a  principle  ;  as  for  the 
width  of  gauge,  I  am  prepared  to  contend,  and  to  stand 
or  fall  by  it,  believing  it  to  be  a  most  essential  improve- 
ment where  high  speeds  are  to  be  obtained.  As  re- 
gards the  expense  of  forming  the  permanent  way  on 
this  principle,  I  am  quite  prepared  to  maintain  what  I 
have  on  a  former  occasion  advanced,  that,  even  on 
the  system  which  we  have  adopted  between  London 
and  Maidenhead,  the  total  cost,  does  not  materially 
exceed  that  of  a  well-constructed  line  with  stone  blocks. 
I  did  not  in  the  outset  make  an  exact  estimate  of  the 
cost  of  either  mode  ;  I  was  unable  to  obtain  the  cost, 
which  has  actually  been  incurred  on  other  lines,  but  a 
comparative  estimate  was  made,  and  the  result  of  that 
comparison  led  me  to  state  that  the  one  might  exceed 
the  other  by  ^500  a  mile.  The  actual  cost  of  our 
permanent  way  appears,  by  the  detailed  account  which 
has  been  made  out,  to  have  been  above  ^9000,  includ- 
ing expenses  of  under-draining  and  forming  the  sur- 
faces, which  cannot  be  included  in  the  cost  given  in 
other  cases  because  that  drainage  (though  I  believe 
generally  forming  part  of  the  plan)  is  not  yet  con- 
structed. This  sum  includes  the  sidings  at  the 
stations,  switches,  joints  and  other  contingencies,  and 
also  the  expenses  incurred  during  the  first  month 
of  working  the  line,  and  which,  as  I  have  before  stated, 
consisted  in  removing  and  replacing  work  which  had 
been  improperly  executed.  These  items  will  make  a 
considerable  reduction  ;  and  besides  these,  larger  reduc- 
tions may  be  effected  in  parts  of  the  work  which  were 
new,  and  from  the  circumstances  naturally  attending  a 
first  attempt  were  not  so  economically  conducted  as 
they  might  be,  or,  indeed,  as  they  were  towards  the 
close  of  the  works,  when  the  different  parts  were  let 
by  contract.  Taking  the  prices  at  which  the  work 


36       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

was  latterly  actually  executed,  ^8000  per  mile  would 
be  a  liberal  allowance  for  our  future  proceeding,  even 
adopting  the  same  system  ;  and  with  a  modified  system, 
such  as  that  suggested  of  simple  longitudinal  bearings 
of  large  scantling,  and  a  rail  of  54  pounds  per  yard,  at 
the  present  high  price  of  iron,  the  cost,  calculated 
upon  our  actual  past  expenditure,  would  not  exceed 
^7400  per  mile.  This  I  am  aware  is  a  larger  sum 
than  that  which  has  usually  been  assumed  as  the  cost 
of  the  permanent  way.  I  cannot  prove  that  others 
have  cost  more,  or  even  so  much  as  this,  as  I  have 
nothing  but  the  published  accounts  to  refer  to ;  but 
this  I  can  state,  and  prove  if  necessary,  that  rails  and 
blocks,  such  as  are  now  being  adopted  on  the  Man- 
chester and  Liverpool  Railway,  would  upon  our  lines 
cost  at  least  as  much.  The  prime  cost  of  rails  and 
chairs  delivered  on  the  line  would  alone  amount  to 
half  the  money ;  and  nothing  is  perhaps  more  certain 
than  that  the  experience  of  other  lines  within  the  last 
two  or  three  years  has  proved  that  this  part  of  the 
construction  of  a  railway  is  unavoidably  much  more 
expensive  than  was  ever  calculated  for  at  the  time 
our  estimates  were  made. — I  am,  Gentlemen,  your 
obedient  Servant,  I.  K.  BRUNEL. 

But  the  dissentient  shareholders  „  pressed  for  an 
inquiry,  and  Mr  John  Hawkshaw  of  Manchester  and 
Mr  N.  Wood  of  Newcastle-on-Tyne  were  requested 
to  report  as  to  whether  any  advantages  were  obtained 
from  increasing  the  width  of  the  gauge.  If  any,  to 
what  extent  and  at  what  additional  cost,  and  if  the  ad- 
vantages (if  any)  were  equivalent  to  the  increased  cost 
of  forming  the  railway  on  this  plan  ?  Mr  J.  Walker, 
the  then  President  of  the  Institution  of  Civil  En- 
gineers, and  Mr  Robert  Stephenson  were  also  asked 
to  prepare  a  report  on  the  subject,  but  both  declined 
to  do  so.  Mr  Hawkshaw's  and  Mr  Wood's  reports 
were  delivered  in  the  autumn  of  1838.  Mr  Brunei 
sent  in  an  answer  on  i3th  December  1838.  Then 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  37 

Mr  Wood  made  another  report  which  is  dated  i8th 
December  1838.  Mr  Brunei's  answer  to  Mr  Wood's 
second  report  was  published  on  27th  December.  The 
Directors  thereupon  addressed  the  circular  to  the  share- 
holders which  contained  their  opinions  on  the  con- 
troversy, which  were  favourable  to  Mr  Brunei,  and 
they  decided  that  '  upon  a  deliberate  reconsideration 
of  all  the  circumstances  affecting  the  permanent  wel- 
fare of  the  undertaking,  divesting  the  question  of  all 
personal  partialities  or  obstinate  adherence  to  a  system, 
unanimously  acquiesce  in  the  abandonment  of  the 
piles,  in  the  substitution  of  a  greater  scantling  of 
timber,  and  of  a  heavier  rail,  retaining  the  width  of 
gauge,  with  the  continuous  timber  bearings,  as  the 
most  conducive  to  the  general  interests  of  the  Com- 
pany.' 

The  directors  also  required  Mr  Gooch  to  prepare 
them  a  report  on  each  locomotive,  which  he  did,  con- 
demning their  construction,  but  pointing  out  that  it 
was  quite  possible  to  build  engines  suitable  for  the 
Broad  Gauge.  His  report  resulted  in  the  Directors  re- 
quiring him  to  prepare  designs  for  a  suitable  class  of 
engines.  These  new  engines  formed  the  celebrated 
'  Firefly'  class. 

The  meeting  of  the  shareholders  to  consider  these 
reports  was  held  at  the  London  Tavern,  and  was  ad- 
journed till  Qth  January  1839.  The  Directors  pro- 
posed this  resolution  : — '  That  this  meeting,  deeply 
sensible  of  the  disastrous  consequences  inevitably 
arising  from  repeated  discussions  as  to  the  principles 
acted  upon  in  carrying  on  the  work,  do  request  the 
Directors  to  adhere  to  the  principles  laid  down  in  the 
report  as  most  conducive  to  the  permanent  welfare  of 
the  proprietors.'  To  this  proposition  an  amendment 
was  proposed, — '  That  the  reports  of  Mr  Wood  and  Mr 
Hawkshaw  contain  sufficient  evidence  that  the  plans 
of  construction  pursued  by  Mr  Brunei  are  injudicious, 
expensive  and  ineffectual  for  this  professed  object, 
and  ought  not  to  be  persevered  in.'  On  the  division 


38       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

only  6145  votes  were  given  for  the  amendment,  and 
7792  against  it,  so  that  the  Directors'  resolution  was 
carried  by  the  large  majority  of  1647  votes.  Nor  was 
any  other  attempt  ever  made  to  alter  this  decision  of 
the  shareholders.  There  were  two  circumstances 
which  greatly  influenced  the  shareholders  in  arriving 
at  the  above  conclusion,  one  the  fact  that  Dr  Lardner 
had  conducted  the  experiments  on  behalf  of  Messrs 
Hawkshaw  and  Wood,  but  at  that  time  the  doctor's 
conclusions  had  not  much  weight,  for  he  had  often 
publicly  affirmed  that  it  was  impossible  for  a  steam 
vessel  to  cross  the  Atlantic,  when  in  1838  several  had 
successfully  performed  the  voyage.  He  also  stated 
that  the  Broad  Gauge  engine  '  North  Star'  could  not 
haul  more,  travelling  at  45  miles  an  hour,  than  15 
tons,  when,  the  next  day,  Mr  Gooch  travelled  with 
her  at  that  rate  with  a  load  of  50  tons.  So  no  wonder 
the  shareholders  were  rather  dubious  as  to  the  result 
of  his  gauge  experiments. 

The  other  circumstance  which  influenced  the  share- 
holders was  an  exceedingly  ingenious  pamphlet  written 
by  Mr  G.  Clark,  one  of  the  Great  Western  engineers, 
in  which  he  mercilessly  satirised  the  whole  inquiry. 
In  describing  the  line  when  first  opened  one  writer 
thus  refers  to  this  inquiry  : — '  The  advantages  of  the 
Broad  Gauge  are  : — 

'  i.  It  gave  the  power  of  constructing  more  power- 
ful engines,  by  which  greater  speed  for  pas- 
senger trains  and  greater  tractive  power  for 
heavy  goods  trains  were  obtained. 
'  2.  It  gave  more  space  for  the  convenient  ar- 
rangement and  beneficial  proportions  of  the 
machinery  as  well  as  for  convenient  access  to 
it.  In  all  these  points  difficulties  had  been 
found  on  the  Narrow  Gauge,  and  the  com- 
pulsory restriction  of  so  important  a  dimen- 
sion as  the  width  between  the  rails  has  been 
a  bar  to  any  improvements  of  great  magni- 
tude or  comprehensive  nature. 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  39 

'3.  It  gave,  even  with  the  overhanging  carriage, 
the  facility  for  obtaining  large  wheels,  and 
consequently  diminishing  the  axle  friction 
without  sacrifice  of  stability. 

'  4.  The  greater  width  of  base  for  the  carriages  to 
rest  on  gave  increased  steadiness  and  smooth- 
ness of  motion,  particularly  at  high  speeds. 
It  was  the  impulse  given  by  the  increase  of 
speeed  and  comfort  obtained  without  difficulty 
on  the  Broad  Guage  which  had  led  to  the  chief 
improvements  introduced  in  railway  travelling. 

'  5.  Greater  safety  was  secured,  particularly  at  high 
speed,  from  the  greater  stability  of  position, 
due  to  the  wider  base  producing  increased 
steadiness  and  diminishing  the  chance  under 
exceptional  circumstances  of  the  derangement 
of  any  part  of  the  train. 

*  6.  While  the  Broad  Gauge  was  but  little  more 
costly  than  the  Narrow,  the  width  of  the 
works  being  determined  not  by  the  width 
of  the  rails  but  by  the  width  of  the  carnages, 
and  the  extra  cost  of  rolling  stock  being  very 
small,  the  Broad  Guage  could  not  be  worked 
more  economically  under  parallel  circum- 
stances than  the  Narrow. 

'7.  It  gave  the  facility  of  using  broader  vehicles 
with  equal  steadiness  in  cases  where  the 
extra  breadth  would  be  useful,  though  the 
extra  breadth  was  by  no  means  an  '  essential 
part  of  the  scheme.'  * 

A  well  known  engineer,  writing  at  this  time  on  the 
result  of  this  inquiry,  said  : — '  One  great  advantage 
results  to  the  public  from  the  investigation  which  has 
taken  place  into  the  merits  of  this  railway,  proving 
the  very  defective  condition  of  the  system  of  rail- 

*  While  Mr  Herapath,  the  railway  authority  of  that  time,  said, — 
"  Experience  has  proved  4  feet  8£  inches  to  be  too  small,  but  we 
are  not  aware  it  has  yet  proved  that  7  feet  is  too  large," 


40       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

ways  generally,  rendering  it  the  imperative  duty  of 
railway  companies  to  avail  themselves  of  the  sugges- 
tions and  improvements  of  others  besides  their  own 
people.  If  it  has  the  effect,  therefore,  of  breaking 
down  the  spirit  of  domination  and  exclusiveness  at 
present  existing  which  forbids  the  introduction  of 
other  methods  than  the  crude  and  original  ideas  of 
Stephenson  and  Company,  such  a  conclusion  is  well 
obtained  at  the  expense  and  noise  this  inquiry  has 
created,  and  must  be  regarded  with  satisfaction  by 
every  well-wisher  to  the  railway  system.' 

In  the  Appendix  will  be  found  the  various  reports 
alluded  to  in  this  volume. 

Proceeding  with  the  description  of  the  construction 
of  the  line,  Maidenhead  Skew  Bridge  is  the  next  to 
claim  attention,  of  this  bridge  and  the  Box  Tunnel 
(to  be  considered  later  on)  we  believe  it  can  be 
truthfully  said  that  more  has  been  written  than 
about  any  other  engineering  success  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  The  great  peculiarity  is  the  extreme 
flatness  of  the  arch,  which  was  erected  in  brickwork. 
Mr  Hawkshaw  recommended  stone  being  used  as 
being  more  likely  to  make  the  Abridge  secure.  The 
bridge  consisted  of  only  two  elliptical  arches,  each 
of  128  feet  span,  with  a  spring  of  only  24  feet  3 
inches.  There  were  also  four  smaller  arches  for  the 
passage  of  flood  water,  the  centreing  from  one  of  these 
being  removed  before  the  cement  had  set,  caused  the 
arch  to  give  way.  The  opponents  to  this  style  of 
bridge  construction  made  such  an  outcry  about  the 
accident  that  the  contractor  was  so  frightened  that  he 
begged  of  Mr  Brunei  to  allow  him  to  give  up  his 
contract.  Mr  Brunei,  however,  proved  to  him,  by 
simple  geometrical  figures  and  diagrams,  that  his 
method  of  construction  was  quite  correct.  After 
this  untoward  event  one  of  the  newspapers,  which 
prided  itself  upon  being  an  authority  on  railway 
matters,  each  week  used  to  send  a  commissioner  to 
Maidenhead  to  report  upon  the  defects  of  this  bridge, 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  41 

and  his  emphatic  statement  was,  '  That  the  bridge 
could  not  stand  alone,  it  was  only  supported  by  the 
centreing,  and  when  they  were  removed  the  bridge 
would  fall.'  One  Saturday  morning  the  paper  came 
out  with  strictures  much  stronger  than  usual  on  the 
instability  of  the  bridge  ;  it  so  happened,  however, 
that  the  previous  night  there  had  been  a  severe 
storm,  and  the  wind  had  blown  down  the  wood 
centreing,  and,  as  Mr  Gooch  says,  '  before  the  paper 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  readers  the  arches  were  stand- 
ing alone,  and  have  stood  well  ever  since/  Indeed, 
so  proud  are  the  Great  Western  Railway  of  this 
bridge  that,  after  standing  fifty  years,  they  have 
such  respect  to  the  memory  of  its  brilliant  designer 
that  in  carrying  out  the  widening  of  the  line  from 
Maidenhead  to  Didcot,  the  Company  have  built  a 
similar  bridge  to  Brunei's  famous  one,  parallel  with 
it ;  and  to  insure  the  quality  of  the  work,  instead  of  it 
being  let  to  a  contractor  as  the  rest  of  the  widening 
was,  the  Company  built  it  so  as  to  make  sure  of  good 
workmanship  and  unity  of  design.  So  far  has  the 
idea  been  carried  out  that,  finding  the  original  bridge 
has  settled  about  an  inch,  the  new  one  is  not  built 
a  true  ellipse,  but  is  the  same  amount  out  of  the 
correct  form. 

This  widened  bridge  was  opened  for  traffic  on  ist 
February  1893.  There  are  now  four  lines  of  rail  over 
the  bridge,  the  level  of  the  rails  being  only  40  feet 
above  that  of  the  river  beneath.  The  following  is  a 
very  clear  and  interesting  account  of  this  famous  bridge 
written  soon  after  the  work  was  completed: — 'To  the  eye 
familiar  with  geometrical  beauty,  the  perfect  execution 
of  an  elliptical  arch  on  so  large  a  scale,  and  so  high  a 
degree  of  eccentricity,  is  no  common  gratification ;  but 
when  the  practical  mechanician  considers,  from  his  point 
of  view,  the  difficulties  and  risks  which  must  have 
attended  its  construction — when  he  reflects  that  this 
beautiful  outline  is  wholly  formed  of  insignificant  little 
bricks,  4^  inches  wide  by  2f  inches  thick,  each  course  of 


42       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

which  on  this  enormous  span  has  not  only  to  carry  its 
own  weight,  but  its  proportion  of  the  road  and  the 
train — when  he  considers  the  strains  to  which  these 
materials  are  thus  exposed,  and  remembers  that  in  such 
circumstances  they  are  subject  to  a  pressure  that  must 
approach  very  nearly  to  the  extreme  limits  of  cohesion, 
then,  indeed,  and  only  then,  will  he  sufficiently  appreci- 
ate the  courage  and  the  capacity  which  have  approached 
so  near  to  the  verge  of  possibility  without  transgressing 
its  bounds. 

'  Let  him  examine  the  structure  closely,  and  he  will 
see  that  the  most  perfect  execution  and  the  soundest 
materials,  with  the  most  judicious  arrangement,  could 
alone  have  secured  its  success,  for  at  certain  critical 
points  there  may  be  observed  some  delicate  displace- 
ments, nowhere  exceeding  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  ex- 
tent, sufficient  nevertheless  to  show  that  courage  carried 
further  might  have  been  rashness.  As  it  is,  this  ex- 
ample is  one  which  it  is  impossible  not  to  admire,  but 
which  it  would  be  imprudent  to  imitate.' 

The  following  table  gives  some  interesting  statistics 
of  the  two  great  brick  works  on  this  line. 

Material — Brick.  Wharncliffe.  Maidenhead. 

Cost,        ....  ,£40,000.  ,£37,000. 

Total  length,    .         .         .  896  ft.  778  ft. 

Breadth,  .         .         .         .  30  ft.  30  ft. 

Height,    .         .  70  ft.  40  ft. 

Span,        .         .          .  70  ft.  128  ft. 

Spring,     .          .          .  1 8  ft.  24  ft.  3  ins. 

Thickness  of  piers  at  foot,  13  ft.  6  ins.  30  ft. 

Thickness  at  spring,  .  10  ft.  6  ins.  8  ft. 

Arch  at  haunch,        .          .  5  ft.  9  ins.  7  ft.  6  ins. 

Arch  at  crown,  3  ft.  5  ft.  3  ins. 

There  are  4  miles  of  rather  deep  cuttings  between 
Maidenhead  and  Twyford,  while  beyond  Twyford  the 
cutting  towards  Reading  is  about  40  feet  deep.  It  was 
originally  proposed  to  make  a  tunnel  here,  but  the 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  43 

idea  was  abandoned  and  the  deep  cutting  substituted. 
Reading  was  one  of  the  principal  stations  built  with 
but  a  single  platform,  which  it  still  retains.  We 
believe  that  this  and  Cambridge  are  the  two  remain- 
ing examples  of  the  early  desire  to  make  the  inter- 
mediate stations  like  roadside  inns. 

After  Reading  the  line  crosses  the  river  and  then 
runs  along  a  narrow  gorge  worn  out  of  the  surface  by 
the  action  of  the  river,  shut  in  on  one  side  by  the  water 
and  on  the  other  by  the  chalk  cliffs  of  the  gorge.  Pang- 
bourne  was  the  next  station,  after  which  the  railway 
recrosses  the  river  and  arrives  at  Wallingford  Station, 
3  miles  from  the  town  of  that  name.  The  next  station 
was  Steventon,  56  miles  from  Paddington.  The  first 
53  miles  from  London  exhibits  one  of  the  great  advan- 
tages of  this  line,  viz.,  the  freeness  from  curves,  and 
an  almost  level  stretch  of  railway,  the  gradients  no- 
where exceeding  4  feet  per  mile  ;  the  gradients  beyond 
are  not  so  good,  for  as  Swindon  is  the  summit  level,  and 
is  253  feet  above  the  London  Terminus,  there  remains 
147  feet  to  be  climbed  in  the  next  24  miles,  which  is 
done  as  follows  : — First,  4  miles  from  Didcot,  7  feet 
per  mile  ;  \\  mile  level ;  \\  mile  8  feet  per  mile  ;  and 
from  the  sixtieth  to  the  sixty-ninth  mile,  a  uniform 
gradient  of  7  feet ;  3  miles  more  have  a  rise  of  5^-  feet ; 
and  with  the  remainder  at  6  feet  4  inches,  the  summit 
is  reached  near  Swindon,  where  the  Cheltenham  Union 
line  branches  off  to  the  North. 

There  was  at  first  only  one  station,  Farringdon,  63! 
miles  from  London,  between  Steventon  and  Swindon. 
The  village  of  Swindon  then  had  a  population  of  1742 
souls,  but  the  Great  Western  Railway  quickly  caused 
a  new  town  to  spring  up  by  determining  on  locat- 
ing its  engineering  works  there,  which  now  rank  with 
the  largest  in  the  kingdom.  Mr  Gooch  selected 
Swindon  for  the  purpose,  it  being  a  convenient  place 
to  change  engines,  in  consequence  of  it  being  the 
summit  level  of  the  line,  and  also  as  being  the  junction 
for  the  Cheltenham  and  Great  Western  Union  Rail- 


44       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

way.  In  1840,  when  the  site  was  selected,  the  whole 
neighbourhood  was  a  long  expanse  of  green  fields,  and 
the  spot  where  the  trains  now  wait  ten  minutes  so  that 
the  passengers  may  obtain  refreshments,  should  they 
feel  so  inclined,  is  identically  the  same  as  that  where 
Mr  Brunei  and  Mr  Gooch  had  an  al  fresco  picnic  in 
the  summer  of  1840.  Rather  a  different  view  meets 
the  eye  to-day.  The  liberality  of  the  Railway  Com- 
pany soon  built  a  church,  schools,  and  an  institute,  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  workmen  and  their  families, 
and  also  paid  the  stipend  for  the  clergyman  and 
the  salaries  for  the  school  teachers  out  of  the  revenue 
of  the  Company,  and  provided  a  park  and  cricket 
ground  as  well.  The  inhabitants  of  New  Swindon 
long  suffered  from  the  circumlocution  of  the  Govern- 
ment in  many  ways,  which  greatly  retarded  the  de- 
velopment of  the  town,  All  letters  addressed  to  New 
Swindon,  which  adjoins  the  railway  station,  were  sent 
to  the  post  office  at  Old  Swindon  (two  miles  distant), 
and  delivered  from  there,  and  the  same  plan  was 
adopted  with  letters  sent  from  New  Swindon,  resulting 
in  a  delay  of  about  two  hours  each  way  ;  while  a  work- 
man who  wanted  to  post  a  letter  in  time  for  the  even- 
ing mail  had  to  get  a  half-day  off,  and  take  it  to  the 
post  office  at  Old  Swindon  before  6  P.M.,  although 
the  mail  did  not  leave  the  station  for  many  hours  after. 
Mr  Acworth  truly  says, — 'A  description  of  a 
corner  of  the  works  would  furnish  enough  matter  to 
fill  a  volume.'  We,  however,  append  his  description 
of  a  few  of  the  secondary  pursuits  here  carried  on. 
'  In  one  place  we  came  upon  a  whole  gang  of  harness- 
makers  diligently  stitching.  They  are  only  making 
head-stalls  for  use  in  the  Company's  stock  of  horse- 
boxes. In  another  place  we  find  that,  even  in  the 
matter  of  economy,  the  Broad  Gauge  is  not  wholly  with- 
out advantage.  A  lattice-work  girder,  124  feet  long 
and  12  feet  6  inches  high,  is  being  riveted  together, 
and  is  going  to  be  sent  down  to  Bristol  in  one  piece, 
to  form  part  of  a  new  widening  of  the  line  that  the 


The  Construction  of  t tie  Line.  45 

Severn  Tunnel  has  rendered  imperatively  necessary. 
Portable  riveters,  in  shape  and  size  like  a  horse-collar, 
opening  and  closing  at  the  pointed  end,  hang  sus- 
pended from  above,  and  are  fed  with  water  through 
flexible  coils  of  copper  tubing.  Each  machine  per- 
forms the  work  of  a  dozen  lusty  boiler-makers  and 
strikers. 

'  When  we  cross  the  rails  into  the  carriage  shops, 
we  begin  to  wonder  whether  the  skilled  mechanic  will 
not  ere  long  be  an  extinct  species.  Here  we  come 
across  a  boy  of  fourteen  making  curtain  rings  out  of 
flat  discs  of  wood  by  a  process  somewhat  similar,  and 
implying  about  as  much  mental  or  bodily  exertion  as 
is  required  to  squeeze  oil  paint  out  of  a  collapsible 
tube.  Close  by  a  second  boy  looks  on  while  a  copy- 
ing lathe  reproduces,  with  a  scrupulous  accuracy  that 
the  most  skilled  hand  -  turning  could  never  hope  to 
rival,  the  thickenings  and  taperings  of  the  oval-shaped 
handle  of  a  platelayer's  pick.  A  little  further  on  a  file, 
alone  and  unattended,  has  taken  a  band-saw  in  charge, 
and  is  sharpening  its  teeth,  while  two  studs,  nudging 
alternately  from  opposite  sides,  give  them  the  requisite 
"set."  We  turned  to  the  foreman,  and  inquired  how 
long  it  would  be  before  the  saw  would  be  taught  to 
get  up  off  the  table  after  the  operation  and  go  back  to 
its  work.  His  reply  was, — "Well,  sir,  they  do  say 
that  a  man  only  wants  a  hammer  and  a  glue  pot  to 
build  a  railway  carriage  nowadays."  But  if  the  glue 
pot  has  so  far  remained  outside  the  range  of  influence 
of  steam  power,  its  brother  the  paint  pot  has  already 
succumbed,  for  one  shop  we  found  in  sole  possession 
of  a  small  engine  that  was  assiduously  grinding  and 
mixing  paint.  It  is  true  there  was  a  man  looking  on, 
or,  as  he  would  doubtless  have  arrogantly  described 
himself,  "  in  charge  ; "  but  the  engine  went  on  with  its 
task  with  a  quiet  self-confidence  that  brooked  no  inter- 
ference.' 

The  area  of  Swindon  Works  now  amounts  to  208 
acres,  and  9360  hands  are  permanently  employed.    On 


46       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

the  whole  line  there  were  only  10,000,000  cubic  yards 
of  cuttings — much  less  than  on  any  other  line  of  the 
same  magnitude.  Of  the  material  excavated  very  little 
should  have  gone  to  the  spoil  banks ;  but  the  line 
was  constructed  at  high  pressure  and  in  much  less 
time  than  any  other  railway,  between  6000  and  7000 
men  being  constantly  engaged  upon  it  during  con- 
struction. Under  such  circumstances  as  these  was 
an  embankment  made  just  beyond  Swindon  Station. 
The  Company  having  purchased  some  land,  brought 
the  wet,  saturated  clay  to  form  the  embankment,  so 
that,  with  a  change  of  season,  it  could  not  be  made 
stable,  till  at  last  they  drove  rows  of  piles  on  each  side, 
and  chained  them  together  with  chain  cables,  and  so 
confined  the  slippery  soil.  They  drove  these  piles- 
tall  beech  trees — 20  feet  into  the  earth,  and  to  this 
day  every  train  passes  over  tons  of  chain  cables  hidden 
beneath  the  ballast. 

In  the  42  miles  from  Swindon  to  Bristol,  the  line 
falls  275  feet,  most  of  which  is  concentrated  in  two 
places — Wootton  Bassett  and  Box  Tunnel.  Both  of 
these  it  was  at  first  intended  to  work  by  the  help  of 
bank  engines,  the  gradients  being  considered  too 
severe  for  one  engine.  This  was  one  great  point  in 
Mr  Brunei's  system.  Instead  of  making  the  road  up 
and  down  banks  at  all  parts,  which  would  check  the 
speed,  and  require  all  the  engines  to  have  a  large  re- 
serve of  power  to  mount  them,  he  made  the  whole 
line  as  level  as  possible,  and  put  all  the  inclina- 
tion together,  so  that  it  could  be  overcome  by  the 
slight  additional  cost  of  a  bank  engine.  For  the 
first  8  miles  from  Swindon  there  is  a  total  fall  of  50 
feet ;  the  Wooton  Bassett  Bank  is  i \  miles  long,  and 
falls  i  in  100,  or  66  feet  in  all ;  for  the  next  4  miles 
the  line  falls  i  in  660,  and  then  rises  at  the  same  rate 
till  the  entrance  of  Box  Tunnel,  98^  miles  from 
London.  Chippenham  was  the  next  station  to  Swin- 
don, from  which  place  it  is  17  miles  distant. 

We  now  come  to  the  Box  Tunnel,  the  first  on  the 


The  Construction  of  the  Line. 


47 


line,  983-  miles  from  London.  In  whose  words  shall 
we  describe  it  ?  So  many  authors  have  fully  written 
of  its  wonders,  that  we  fear  our  one  more  will  be  de 
trop.  The  great  thing  in  connection  with  it,  is,  that 
throughout  its  entire  length  the  line  falls  i  in  100; 
this  falling  gradient  is  in  all  2  miles  660  yards  in 


THE  Box  TUNNEL. 

length.      In  Our  Iron  Roads,   Mr  Williams  tells  the 
following  anecdote  in  connection  with  this  tunnel : — 

'  On  one  occasion  some  of  the  Directors  of  the 
Great  Western  Railway  were  inspecting  the  works  at 
the  Box  Tunnel,  and  several  of  them  resolved  to 
descend  a  shaft  with  Mr  Brunei  and  one  or  two  other 
engineers,  who  mentioned  the  incident  to  the  writer. 


48       A  History  of  the  Great.  Western  Railway. 

Accordingly,  all  but  one  ensconced  themselves  in  the 
tub  provided  for  that  purpose — he  declined  to  accom- 
pany them.  His  friends  rallied  him  for  his  want  of 
courage,  and  one  slyly  suggested,  "  Did  your  wife 
forbid  you  before  you  started  ? "  A  quiet  nod  in 
response  intimated  that  the  right  nail  had  been  struck, 
and  the  revelation  was  received  with  a  merry  laugh. 
But  as  the  pilgrims  found  themselves  slipping  about  a 
greasy,  muddy  tub,  jolting  and  shaking  as  the  horses 
stopped — by  whose  aid  they  were  lowered, — and  how 
at  length  they  were  suspended  some  1 50  feet  from  the 
bottom,  till  the  blastings  that  had  been  prepared 
roared  and  reverberated  through  the  "  long  drawn 
caverns,"  more  than  one  of  the  party  who  had  laughed 
before  wished  that  they  had  received  a  similar  pro- 
hibition to  that  of  their  friend  above,  and  that  they 
had  manifested  an  equal  amount  of  marital  docility.' 

Box  Hill,  through  which  the  tunnel  passes,  rises 
abruptly  to  a  height  of  270  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
rails,  and  for  2^-  miles  the  approach  is  through  a  con- 
tinuous and  deep  cutting.  The  tunnel  is  3123  yards, 
or  nearly  2  miles  long ;  the  clear  width  is  30  feet,  and 
the  height  25  feet;  the  surface  of  the  land  at  each 
entrance  is  about  70  feet  above  the  level  of  the  rails. 
The  cost  of  the  brickwork  per  yard  was  about  433., 
the  cutting  at  the  entrance  contained  above  a  million 
and  a  half  of  cubic  yards  of  very  various  materials, 
and  this  with  the  tunnel  formed  one  of  the  most 
troublesome  and  tedious  works  on  the  line. 

George  Stephenson  was  one  of  the  witnesses 
called  by  the  promoters  of  the  Great  Western  Rail- 
way. The  counsel  who  cross-examined  him  asked 
the  railway  pioneer  if  it  would  not  be  dangerous  to 
travel  through  the  Box  Tunnel.  George  Stephenson 
replied,  '  I  wish  you  had  a  little  engineering  know- 
ledge, you  would  not  talk  to  me  so.'  Counsel,  '  I  feel 
the  disadvantage.'  George  Stephenson,  '  I  am  sure 
you  must.'  This  counsel,  however,  was  not  crushed 
by  Geordie's  sarcasm,  for  in  his  speech  he  refers  to 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  49 

this  tunnel  thus: — 'The  noise  of  two  trains  passing 
each  other  in  this  tunnel  would  shake  the  nerves  of 
this  assembly.  I  do  not  know  such  a  noise.  No 
passenger  would  be  induced  to  go  twice.'  When  the 
line  was  opened  these  old  wives'  tales  as  to  the  dangers 
of  the  tunnel  had  a  considerable  effect  on  timid  pas- 
sengers, for  they  left  the  trains  at  the  stations  each  side 
of  the  tunnel,  and  posted  by  chaise  to  the  next  station 
on  the  other  side,  where  they  regained  the  later 
trains.  Even  when  the  tunnel  had  been  safely  worked 
for  some  years,  a  scare  was  raised  that  it  was  not  safe, 
and  the  Government  ordered  an  inspection  and  report, 
but  this  document  was  in  every  way  favourable  to  the 
stability  of  the  tunnel.  When  the  railway  mania  was 
at  its  height,  a  prospectus  writer  took  advantage  of 
the  then  dying-out  timidity  of  travellers,  and  in  de- 
scribing his  proposed  line  to  Bristol  he  states  that 
travellers  will  prefer  the  new  line,  as  by  using  it  they 
will  avoid  the  danger  of  travelling  through  the  unsafe 
Box  Tunnel. 

In  1847,  for  the  greater  safety  of  the  trains,  the 
electric  telegraph  was  laid  through  the  tunnel,  and 
what  has  since  developed  into  the  block  system  was 
introduced  into  the  signalling  of  the  trains  through 
the  tunnel. 

In  consequence  of  the  severe  falling  gradient,  the 
down  rails  through  the  tunnel  were  canted  inwards,  so 
that  they  in  a  measure  wedged  the  wheels  of  the 
trains  and  partially  retarded  their  progress. 

Another  short  tunnel  succeeds  the  Box  one,  the 
descending  gradient  still  being  52!  feet  per  mile, 
but  the  rest  of  the  fall  to  Bristol  is  very  slight,  97 
feet  being  spread  over  17  miles,  or  an  average  of 
about  5^-  feet  per  mile. 

The  whole  of  the  gradients  on  the  line  are  thus 
divided  : — 

Miles.  Yards. 

Level  or  incline  not  exceeding  4  feet  in  mile,    66      88 
Above  4  feet        ,,  „          8  ,,  47     no 

D 


50        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Miles.   Yards. 

Steep  inclines,  Wootton  Bassett,  i  in  100,  i     550 

Box  Tunnel  incline,  i  in  100,  2    660 

The  Bath  Station  is  io6j  miles  from  London, 
after  which  is  a  viaduct  of  65  arches,  each  2©  feet 
span  built  of  Bath  stone.  Between  this  point  and 
Bristol  is  the  most  interesting  part  of  the  railway, 
so  far  as  the  construction  is  concerned.  The  line 
crosses  the  Avon  by  a  timber  skew  bridge,  the  most 
oblique  ever  built  of  wood,  and  proceeds  along  the 
Twerton  Embankment  to  the  station  of  that  name, 


BATH  STATION,  SHOWING  THE  ORIGINAL  BROAD  GAUGE  CARRIAGES. 

1 08  miles  down.  Next  we  have  the  Saltford  Embank- 
ment, 20  feet  high  and  if  miles  long ;  then  Saltford 
Station  and  Tunnel,  the  latter  480  feet  long,  and  would 
have  been  longer  but  for  a  landslip  at  the  commence- 
ment, which  removed  the  necessity  for  a  part  of  the 
tunnelling.  This  accident  gave  Brunei  an  opportunity 
of  showing  his  artistic  skill ;  to  hide  the  chasm  formed 
by  the  fall  of  earth,  he  built  a  fine  Gothic  arch  en- 


The  Construction  of  the  Line.  51 

trance  to  the  tunnel,  with  pseudo  ruined  towers  each 
side,  over  which  ivy  was  trained,  and  so  completed 
the  idea  of  a  ruined  castle,  which  the  entrance  to  the 
tunnel  resembles. 

After  Keynsham  Station  is  the  Pennant  Cutting, 
70  feet  deep,  through  the  hard  Pennant  sandstone. 
The  Brislington  Tunnel  follows;  it  is  1049  yards  long, 
30  feet  wide  and  30  feet  high.  There  are  two  other 
cuttings,  one  158  yards,  the  other  350  yards  long. 
Then  crossing  the  Avon  by  a  stone  bridge  we  arrive 
at  the  Temple  Meads  Station  at  Bristol,  the  original 
terminus  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

In  connection  with  the  construction  of  a  portion 
of  the  line  near  Bristol,  the  Company  was  engaged 
in  a  long  and  expensive  lawsuit  with  a  contractor 
named  Ranger.  Under  the  contract  with  him  entered 
into  in  1836,  if  the  work  were  not  proceeded  with  to 
the  satisfaction  of  the  Company's  engineer,  after  due 
notice,  should  the  work  not  be  expedited,  the  Company 
was  entitled  to  enter  into  possession  of  the  whole  of 
the  effects  of  Ranger  on  the  line  and  finish  the  work 
itself.  In  1838  the  railway  gave  the  notice  and  seized 
Ranger's  plant,  valued  by  him  at  ^70,000.  He  then 
commenced  legal  proceedings  against  the  railway,  and 
after  going  through  the  various  Courts,  the  case  was 
settled  by  the  House  of  Lords  in  1847. 


CHAPTER     III. 


THE    OPENING    OF    THE    RAILWAY. 

THE  first  experiment  with  a  Broad  Gauge  locomotive 
was  made  by  Mr  Gooch  on  gth  January  1838,  when 
the  '  Vulcan '  was  tried  on  the  only  part  of  the  line 
then  completed,  which  was  from  West  Drayton  to  the 
Dogkennel  Bridge.  The  celebrated  'North  Star' 


THE  'NORTH  STAR.'     An  Original  Broad  Gauge  Engine  (originally  built  for  a 
Russian  6  feet  Gauge  Railway). 

commenced  her  career  on  the  7  feet  gauge  on  the 
1 5th  January;  she  was  brought  by  barge  to  Maiden- 
head, and  placed  on  the  line  there.  The  next  day 
the  Great  Western  Railway  officials  had  a  dinner 
party  in  honour  of  the  event  at  West  Drayton — then 
the  headquarters  of  the  locomotive  department.  Of 

52 


The  Opening  of  the  Railway.  53 

this  event,  Mr  Gooch  remarks, — '  Some  Irish  gentle- 
men took  more  wine  than  was  good  for  them,  and 
amused  themselves  by  dancing  an  Irish  war  dance  on 
our  hats,  which  happened  to  be  piled  up  in  a  corner  of 
the  room.  I  was  rather  disgusted  with  the  termination 
of  our  dinner,  and  resolved  never  to  have  anything  to 
do  with  another.  I  was  one  of  the  stewards/ 

It  was  on  the  3ist  May  that  the  Directors  made 
their  first  trip  by  railway  over  the  line,  and  finding 
everything  well  prepared  for  the  public  opening, 
it  was  arranged  that  the  section  from  the  tem- 
porary station  at  Bishops  Road  to  the  riverside 
station  at  Maidenhead  (the  present  Taplow  one) 
should  be  opened  at  once. 

On  June  the  ist,  other  experimental  trips  were 
made ;  the  '  North  Star '  took  a  train  containing  200 
passengers  the  whole  distance  (22^-  miles)  in  47 
minutes,  or  at  the  rate  of  28  miles  an  hour,  the  return 
journey  being  made  in  35  minutes,  which  was  at  the 
rate  of  36  miles  an  hour. 

On  the  same  day  another  train  performed  the  down 
journey  in  44  minutes. 

The  next  day,  in  preparation  for  the  opening  for 
general  use,  the  full  service  of  trains  (eight  each  way 
per  day)  was  run. 

On  4th  June  1838,  'the  broad  way  that  leads  to 
destruction/  for  a  distance  of  22^-  miles,  was  opened  to 
the  public  as  the  Great  Western  Railway.  How 
jubilant  must  have  been  any  Narrow  Gauge  partisans 
who  happened  to  travel  by  the  first  train,  and  how 
well  we  can  imagine  the  shaking  of  the  heads,  and 
the  significant  '  I  told  you  so/  when  in  the  morrow's 
newspapers  the  wider  circle  of  the  Coal  Mine  Gauge 
adherents  read  of  the  rather  unsatisfactory  result  of 
the  first  trip. 

Mr  Gooch  says  of  the  engines  that  the  '  North 
Star '  and  the  six  engines  from  the  Vulcan  Foundry 
were  the  only  ones  he  could  depend  upon. 

The  './Eolus '  was  the  one  chosen  to  draw  the  first 


54        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

train,  which  consisted  of  seven  vehicles,  viz.,  two  first- 
class  carriages,  three  closed  and  two  open  second-class 
ones,  and  a  truck,  on  which  was  mounted  a  posting- 
chaise  ;  but  upon  arriving  at  West  Dray  ton,  the  further 
progress  of  the  pioneer  train  was  prevented  by  a  leaky 
tube,  which  extinguished  the  engine  fire.  This  untoward 
accident  occasioned  a  delay  of  76  minutes,  as  the  train 
had  to  wait  till  the  arrival  of  the  following  one  to  push 
it  forward  to  Maidenhead.  The  weight  of  the  first 
train  was  80,078  Ibs.,  or  about  36  tons  (without  the 
engine),  the  combined  trains,  with  the  propelling  loco- 
motive in  the  middle,  reached  Maidenhead  (so  far  as 
the  first  part  was  concerned)  after  a  journey  of  2  hours 
42^  minutes,  or,  deducting  the  stoppage,  the  actual  time 
of  travelling  was  86|-  minutes,  being  an  average  travel- 
ling speed  of  15.56  miles  an  hour. 

Nor  was  the  return  journey  without  its  contre- 
temps, for  at  Slough,  the  truck  on  which  was  the 
posting-chaise,  had  to  be  detached  and  left  behind  in 
consequence  of  one  of  the  wheels  running  hot ;  but  the 
rate  of  progression  was  a  distinct  acceleration,  the 
whole  trip  only  taking  62  minutes,  or,  after  deducting 
stoppages,  54^-  minutes,  being  an  average  speed  of 
24.88  miles  an  hour. 

Mr  N.  Wood  gives  the  following  account  of  a  trip 
from  London  to  Maidenhead  and  back  by  one  of  the 
regular  trains  on  the  day  after  the  line  was  opened  : — 
'  Being  the  Eton  Montem,  for  the  convenience  of 
the  public,  an  extra  carriage  was  attached  to  the  train, 
which  consisted  of  three  first-class  carriages,  each 
capable  of  containing  twenty-four  passengers ;  two 
second-class  close  and  two  open  carriages,  containing 
from  twenty-four  to  thirty  passengers  each  ;  and  one 
open  carriage  with  six  wheels,  capable  of  holding  fifty 
to  sixty  passengers.  With  this  train  of  carriages,  in 
which  were  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  pas- 
sengers, we  started  from  London.  The  following  table 
will  show  the  time  of  performing  the  journey  there  and 
back : — 


The  Opening  of  the  Railway.  55 

DISTANCE.  TIME. 

Miles.    Chains.  Min.    Sees. 

From  London  to  Drayton,     13       3  26     22 


Stopped  at  Dray  ton  Station,  3  55 

Water         „  3  ° 

Slough        ,,  3  50 

From  Drayton  to  Maiden- 
head,    .         .         .  9     40             25  10 


22     43  51     32 


Miles.    Chains.  Min.    Sees. 

From       Maidenhead      to 

Drayton,       .         .  9     40  27     50 


Stopped  at  Slough, .  5  20 

,,           Drayton,          .  2  10 

From  Drayton  to  London,      13  3              26  50 

22  43             55  40 


'  The  average  rate  of  travelling  in  both  directions 
in  the  above  trip  is  about  25  miles  an  hour,  but  it 
must  be  considered  that  a  great  loss  of  time  was 
occasioned  by  checking  the  speed  on  stopping  at  the 
intermediate  stations,  and  again  recovering  the  speed 
at  starting ;  the  rate  being  upwards  of  30  miles  an 
hour  when  not  checked. 

'  Considering,  therefore,  the  disadvantage  under 
which  the  above  experiment  was  made,  the  number  of 
stoppages  and  the  short  distance,  that  the  engine  had 
also  to  drag  an  extra  carriage,  and  that  no  attempt 
was  made  to  urge  the  engine  to  its  utmost  capabilities, 
it  appears  quite  certain  that,  with  such  powerful  engines, 
a  much  higher  rate  of  speed  will  be  accomplished  upon 


56        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

this  railway  than  has  hitherto  been  attained,  especially 
as  it  did  not  appear  to  us  that  any  obstacle  existed  to 
the  higher  rate  of  speed  being  kept  up  without  diffi- 
culty.' 

The  selection  of  Maidenhead  as  the  first  terminus 
for  the  railway  was  a  capital  one  so  far  as  the  pas- 
senger traffic  was  concerned,  as  more  stage  coaches 
passed  through  that  town  than  any  other  in  England. 
The  daily  number  being  ninety  ;  and  not  only  did  the 
coach  passengers  commence  or  complete  their  journey 
by  the  railway,  but  the  coaches  were  mounted  on 
trucks  and  came  to  and  left  London  by  train.  The 
'  Beaufort  Hunt,'  a  celebrated  Bath  and  London 
coach,  used  the  railway  between  London  and  Maiden- 
head almost  from  its  first  opening. 

The  engines  caused  Mr  Gooch  great  disappoint- 
ment ;  he  says  of  them  : — '  I  had  ...  to  rebuild  one 
half  of  the  stock.  .  .  .  For  many  weeks  my  nights 
were  spent  in  a  carriage  in  the  engine-house  at 
Paddington,  as  repairs  had  to  be  done  to  the  engines 
at  nights  to  get  them  ready  to  do  their  work  next 
day.' 

On  2  ist  July,  we  have  recorded  another  trip  per- 
formed by  '  JEolus,'  when  she  took  a  train  consisting 
of  three  first-class  carriages,  two  open  and  one  closed 
second-class  carriages,  and  two  stage  coaches  on  trucks, 
or  a  load  of  96,164  Ibs.,  or  about  43  tons,  and  essayed 
a  trip  to  Maidenhead,  but  '  about  2  J  miles  the  train  was 
suddenly  stopped  and  remained  in  statu  quo  for  2  if 
minutes.  In  the  meantime,  './Eolus'  moved  slowly 
away  to  recover  his  strength,  and  having  sufficiently 
exercised  himself,  returned  after  a  lapse  of  2  if-  minutes 
to  lead  the  train  forward ; '  but  she  did  not  appear  to 
have  quite  recovered  her  strength  by  this  exercise,  for 
she  had  to  stop  at  Slough  '  where  she  took  water.'  This 
journey  took  150  minutes  to  complete;  but  deducting 
the  34  minutes  spent  in  four  stoppages,  the  average 
travelling  rate  was  11.71  miles  an  hour.  On  6th 
November  '  ^olus '  did  better,  for  with  three  car- 


The  Opening  of  the  Railway.  57 

riages  she  attained  a  speed  of  48  miles  an  hour.  In 
September  1838,  the  passenger  traffic  produced  .£7579, 
while  to  3fst  December,  or  for  a  period  of  nearly 
seven  months,  the  income  was — 


Passengers  and  Mails,         .  £61,779  14  5 
Parcels,        ....          869    5   7 
Merchandise,       .         .         .       1,620    7   I 
Conveyance     of    materials 
for  Contractors  construct- 
ing the  Line,        .         .          1,616  12  5 


£65,885    19     6 


while  the  expenditure  for  the  same  period  amounted 
to  ,£32,168,  145.,  in  which  was  included  .£3405, 
1 8s.  5d.  Government  duty,  and  ,£971,  ios.  gd.  for 
rates  and  taxes.  It  is  evident  at  first  that  railways 
were  rated  in  a  fairly  equitable  manner,  but  not  for 
long,  for  four  years  later,  when  the  duty  for  the  half- 
year  had  increased  pro  rata  with  the  traffic  to 
.£13,625,  the  rates  had  increased  out  of  all  proportion 
to  ,£12,998.  With  regard  to  the  rating,  the  Great 
Western  Railway  for  a  long  while  waged  war  against 
the  unjust  assessments  made  on  their  property,  and  on 
several  occasions  distresses  were  levied  on  the  effects 
of  the  Company  for  rates  they  refused  to  pay.  And 
good  cause  railways  had  for  narrowly  inquiring  into 
how  their  rates  were  calculated,  for  one  inquiry  pro- 
duced the  astonishing  result  of  disclosing  that  the 
assessor  had  made  a  rate  of  6d.  in  the  pound  against  a 
railway  company  in  his  parish,  while  the  other  occupiers 
were  rated  at  but  2d.  in  the  pound ;  for  this  swindle 
the  parish  official  had  to  take  a  holiday  at  his  country's 
expense,  which  holiday  we  need  scarcely  add  was 
spent  in  well-guarded  confinement. 

Returning  to  the  early  history  of  the  Great 
Western  Railway,  a  storm  of  wind  on  the  morning  of 
29th  October  1838  showed  how  extremely  well  the 
carriages  were  constructed  for  easy  running.  The 
force  of  the  wind  propelled  four  carriages  which  were 
at  Maidenhead  along  the  line,  which  has  a  scarcely 


58        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

perceptible  falling  gradient — the  first  two  reached 
Wormwood  Scrubbs,  a  distance  of  over  20  miles, 
before  they  were  stopped,  the  other  two  were  stayed 
at  Slough. 

On  ist  July  1839,  the  railway  was  opened  to  Twy- 
ford — an  extension  of  8|-  miles,  included  in  which  was 
the  celebrated  brick  bridge  across  the  Thames  already 
alluded  to. 

Early  in  1839,  Cook  and  Wheatstone's  galvanic 
telegraph  was  laid  down  on  the  Great  Western  Rail- 
way from  Paddington  to  West  Drayton. 

At  first  the  wires  were  enclosed  in  an  iron  tube,  i|- 
inches  diameter,  which  was  fixed  some  3  feet  from  the 
side  of  the  line,  and  about  6  inches  off  the  ground. 
By  the  early  adoption  of  this  great  improvement,  the 
Great  Western  Railway  Directors  gave  the  public 
further  proof  that  they  were  far  ahead  of  all  other 
railways  in  the  measures  they  took  for  the  safety  of 
the  public  travelling  by  their  line.  The  telegraph 
was  most  prominently  brought  into  public  notice  by 
the  good  service  rendered  to  justice  by  the  Great 
Western  Railway  in  connection  with  an  atrocious 
murder  perpetrated  at  Salt  Hill,  near  Slough,  from 
which  station  the  criminal  journeyed  to  London  by  train. 
The  foul  crime  was  discovered  shortly  after  the  train 
had  started,  and  the  railway  officials  courteously  tele- 
graphed the  description  of  the  murderer  to  Paddington, 
where  a  detective  awaited  his  arrival.  The  publicity 
thus  given  to  the  magnetic  telegraph  did  more  for  its 
general  introduction  than  many  years  of  plain  unob- 
trusive utility  would  have  accomplished.  It  is  not 
often  that  a  scientific  invention,  at  the  commencement 
of  its  career,  gains  such  a  good  advertisement  of  its 
undoubted  usefulness. 

At  first  this  new  means  of  instantaneous  communi- 
cation was  called  magnetic,  galvanic  or  electric  tele- 
graph, to  distinguish  it  from  the  system  of  telegraphy 
used  by  the  Government  to  convey  orders  and  news 
from  London  to  the  naval  ports,  which  was  accom- 


The  Opening  of  the  Railway,  59 

plished  by  semaphores  similiar  to  those  now  used  by 
the  coastguards  to  converse  with  passing  ships. 
These  semaphores  were  placed  within  sight  of  the 
attendants  at  the  next  semaphores  on  either  side,  who 
signalled  the  messages  from  one  to  another. 

On  1 2th  August  1839,  the  'Vulcan'  made  a 
record  in  railway  speed,  having  with  four  carriages 
attained  the  then  unparalleled  speed  of  50  miles  an 
hour. 

The  line  was  further  extended  in  1840  ;  in  March 
to  Reading,  and  in  June  to  Steventon,  while,  on 
3ist  August,  the  Bristol  Directors,  who  were  working 
independently  of  the  London  Board,  opened  the  section 
between  Bath  and  Bristol,  the  up  trains  leaving 
Bristol  at  8,  9,  10,  u,  12  A.M.,  2,  4,  5,  6,  7  and  8  P.M  ; 
the  first-class  fare  was  then  2s.  6d.  against  2s.  id.  now. 
To  meet  the  hourly  competition  of  the  railway,  a 
half-hourly  service  of  coaches  was  put  on  the  road 
between  Bath  and  Bristol. 

When  we  consider  that  at  the  present  day,  despite 
our  elaborate  and  marvellously  complicated  system  of 
combined  interlocking  and  electric  block  signalling, 
collisions  are  not  infrequent,  it  is  intensely  surprising 
to  find  how  remarkably  free  from  accidents  the  Great 
Western  Railway  was  in  the  early  years  of  its  history, 
when  its  traffic  was  unprovided  with  any  of  these 
modern  safeguards  ;  but  although  accidents  were  few, 
narrow  escapes  from  collisons  must  have  been  of 
rather  frequent  occurrence,  for  Babbage,  a  leading 
scientist  of  sixty  years  back,  in  his  life,  thus  records  a 
narrow  escape  he  had  one  Sunday,  when  he  was  about 
to  make  a  trip  for  the  purpose  of  taking  some  obser- 
vations. Upon  arriving  at  the  station,  he  found  that 
he  was  to  travel  down  on  the  north  or  up  line. 

'  As  this  was  an  invasion  of  the  usual  regulations,  I 
inquired  very  minutely  into  the  authority  upon  which 
it  rested.  Being  satisfied  on  this  point,  I  desired  him 
to  order  out  my  train  immediately.  He  returned  with 
the  news  that  the  fireman  had  neglected  his  duty,  but 


60        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

that  the  engine  would  be  ready  in  less  than  a  quarter 
of  an  hour.  The  officer  took  pains  to  assure  me  that 
there  was  no  danger  on  whichever  line  we  might  travel, 
as  there  could  be  no  engine  but  our  own  on  either  line 
until  5  o'clock  in  the  evening.  A  messenger  arrived 
soon  after  to  inform  me  that  the  obstructions  had  been 
removed,  and  that  I  could  now  pass  upon  the  south, 
which  was  the  proper  line. 

'  While  we  were  conversing  together,  my  ear,  which 
had  become  peculiarly  sensitive  to  the  distant  sound  of 
an  engine,  told  me  that  one  was  approaching.  I 
mentioned  it  to  the  railway  official.  He  did  not  hear  it, 
and  said, — "  Sir,"  it  is  impossible."  "  Whether  possible 
or  impossible,"  I  said,  "  an  engine  is  coming,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  we  shall  see  its  steam."  The  sound  soon 
became  evident  to  both,  and  our  eyes  were  anxiously 
directed  to  the  expected  quarter.  The  white  cloud  of 
steam  now  faintly  appeared  in  the  distance.  I  soon 
perceived  the  line  it  occupied,  and  then  turned  to 
watch  my  companion's  face.  In  a  few  minutes  more  I 
saw  it  slightly  change,  and  he  said, —  "  It  is  indeed  on  | 
the  north  line."  Knowing  it  would  stop  at  the  engine- 
house,  I  ran  as  fast  as  I  could  to  that  spot.  I  found  a 
single  engine,  from  which  Brunei,  covered  with  smoke 
and  black,  had  just  descended.  We  shook  hands,  and 
I  inquired  what  brought  my  friend  here  in  such  a 
plight.  Brunei  told  me  he  had  posted  from  Bristol  to 
meet  the  only  train  at  the  furthest  point  of  the  rail  then 
opened,  but  had  missed  it.  "  Fortunately,"  he  said,  "  I 
found  this  engine  with  its  fire  up,  so  I  ordered  it  out, 
and  have  driven  it  the  whole  way  up  at  the  rate  of  50 
miles  an  hour." 

'  I  then  told  him  that  but  for  the  merest  accident  I 
should  have  met  him  on  the  same  line  at  the  rate  of  40 
miles,  and  that  I  had  attached  to  my  engine  my  ex- 
perimental carriage  and  three  waggons  with  30  tons 
of  iron.  I  inquired  what  course  he  would  have  pur- 
sued if  he  had  perceived  another  engine  meeting  him 
upon  his  own  line?  Brunei  said  in  such  a  case  he 


The  Opening  of  the  Railway.  61 

would  have  put  on  all  the  steam  he  could  command 
with  a  view  to  driving  oft"  the  opposite  engine  by  the 
superior  velocity  of  his  own.' 

But  the  Great  Western  Railway  was  remarkably 
fortunate  with  regard  to  the  safety  of  its  passengers, 
for  during  the  three  years  preceding  Christmas 
Eve  1841,  the  Company  had  carried  over  3,000,000 
passengers,  and  the  only  accidents  reported  were  a 
broken  leg  and  a  broken  arm,  and  a  few  bruises. 

The  trouble  with  the  locomotives  disappeared 
early  in  1840,  for  Mr  Gooch  had  his  'Firefly' 
(the  first  of  the  class  numbering  142)  running  in 
March,  and  others  were  speedily  delivered  and  got 
to  work. 

On  the  3Oth  June  1841,  the  whole  of  the 
Great  Western  main  line  from  London  to  Bristol 
was  opened.  The  Wooton  Bassett  incline  of  i  in 
100  was  successfully  mounted  by  the  powerful  Broad 
Gauge  engines.  Mr  Brunei  was  very  anxious  as  to 
the  success  of  the  long  rise  for  over  2  miles,  in- 
cluding the  section  through  the  tunnel,  but  with  a 
bank  engine  the  trains  were  got  through  without 
any  difficulty.  Mr  Gooch  thus  describes  the  work- 
ing of  trains  through  the  tunnel  for  the  first  days  of 
the  opening  : — '  Only  one  line  of  rails  was  complete 
through  the  tunnel,  and  the  trains  had  therefore  to 
be  worked  on  a  single  line.  I  undertook  to  accom- 
pany all  the  trains  through  the  tunnel,  and  did  so 
the  first  day  and  night,  also  the  second  day,  intend- 
ing to  be  relieved  when  the  mail  came  down  on  the 
second  night.  At  about  1 1  o'clock  that  night  we 
had  a  very  narrow  escape  from  a  fearful  accident. 
I  was  going  up  the  tunnel  with  the  last  up  train 
when  I  fancied  I  saw  some  green  lights  placed  as 
they  were  in  front  of  our  trains.  A  second's  re- 
flection convinced  me  it  was  the  mail  coming  down. 
I  lost  no  time  in  reversing  the  engine  I  was  on, 
and  running  back  to  Box  Station  with  my  train  as 
quickly  as  I  could,  when  the  mail  came  down  behind 


62        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

me.  The  policeman  at  the  top  of  the  tunnel  had 
made  some  blunder,  and  sent  the  mails  on  when  they 
arrived  there.  Had  the  tunnel  not  been  pretty  clear 
of  steam  we  must  have  met  in  full  career,  and  the 
smash  would  have  been  fearful,  cutting  short  my 
career  also.  But  as  though  mishaps  never  come 
alone,  when  I  was  taking  my  train  up  again,  from 
some  cause  or  other  the  engine  got  off  the  rails  in 
the  tunnel,  and  I  was  detained  there  all  night  before 
I  got  straight  again. 

'  Box  Tunnel  had  a  very  pretty  effect  for  the  couple 
of  days  it  was  worked  as  a  single  line  from  the  number 
of  candles  used  by  the  men  working  on  the  un- 
finished line  ;  it  was  a  perfect  illumination  extending 
through  the  whole  tunnel,  nearly  2  miles  long.' 

The  Queen  did  not  venture  to  patronise  the 
'iron  road'  till  1842,  but  Prince  Consort  early  made 
use  of  the  Great  Western  Railway  between  London 
and  Slough.  For  the  use  of  the  royal  travellers  a 
special  saloon  was  built,  which  had  one  remarkable 
feature,  wooden  wheels  with  wooden  tyres,  to  prevent 
the  noise  caused  by  the  iron  tyres  striking  against  the 
iron  rails.  This  carriage  was  constructed  in  1840, 
and  was  21  feet  long,  and  9  feet  wide  and  6  feet 
6  inches  high,  in  three  compartments,  the  two  end 
ones  being  each  4  feet  6  inches  long,  and  the  centre 
one  nearly  1 2  feet ;  the  centre  saloon  was  fitted  in 
Louis  XV.  style,  panelled  with  crimson  and  white 
silk,  with  paintings  by  Parris  representing  Fire,  Air, 
Earth  and  Water.  The  sofas  were  of  carved  oak. 
At  the  end  of  the  smaller  compartments,  over  the 
buffers,  was  a  large  bow  window.  Wrhen  the  Windsor 
line  was  '  narrowed,'  this  saloon  was  withdrawn  from 
service,  but  it  is  still  preserved  among  other  relics 
of  the  past  greatness  of  the  Broad  Gauge  at 
Swindon. 

We  have  now  given  an  account  of  the  opening 
of  the  several  sections  of  the  Great  Western  Railway 
proper;  in  1841  were  opened  18  miles  of  the  Great 


The  Opening  of  the  Railway.  63 

Western  Railway  and  Cheltenham  Union  Railway, 
and  32  J  miles  of  the  Bristol  and  Exeter  Railway. 

In  1837  the  Great  Western  Railway  leased  the 
former  in  perpetuity  at  a  rent  of  ;£  17,000  a  year,  thus 
really  incorporating  the  Cheltenham  and  Great  West- 
ern Union  Railway  with  its  own  system.  While  a 
lease  of  the  Bristol  and  Exeter  was  taken  to  work 
each  section  of  the  line  as  it  was  opened,  and  the 
whole  line  for  five  years  from  the  date  it  was  opened 
throughout. 

Our  readers  have  now  had  a  succinct  account  of 
the  formation  and  early  development  of  the  most 
important  system  of  railways  then  or  now  in  exist- 
ence in  this  Kingdom. 

Being  constructed  on  principles  entirely  dissimilar 
to  those  adopted  by  other  lines,  the  'Great  Western 
Railway  has  always  received  a  large  amount  of  atten- 
tion from  students  of  our  railway  organisations,  and 
that  there  is  much  to  be  learnt  from  the  history  of 
the  Broad  Guage  every  reader  will  readily  admit. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  EARLY  BROAD  GAUGE  LOCOMOTIVES. 

MR  DANIEL  GOOCH,  who  has  undoubtedly  done  more 
for  the  development  of  the  locomotive  steam  engine 
than  any  other  man,  was  appointed  locomotive  super- 
intendent to  the  Great  Western  Railway  in  August 
1837,  commencing  his  duties  as  such  on  the  i8th. 
He  therefore,  before  he  had  attained  his  majority,  was 
appointed  to  this  most  important  of  all  positions  on  a 
railway.  We  can  well  understand  his  feelings ;  how 
jubilant  and  happy  he  must  have  been  in  thus  early 
attaining  to  the  zenith  of  the  locomotive  engineer's 
profession,  which  position  is  sought  after  and  hoped 
for  by  thousands  of  young  engineers  when  first  enter- 
ing the  profession,  but  gained  by  a  very  few,  and  then 
usually  after  long,  long  years  of  hard  toil  and  weary 
waiting,  before  which  time  the  ardour  and  spirit  with 
which  they  commenced  their  career  has  usually  long 
since  evaporated,  and  they  enter  into  their  new  post, 
confirmed  believers  in  the  usual  routine,  as  prepared 
for  the  occupiers  of  the  position  by  their  predecessors. 

Mr  Gooch's  salary  at  first  was  ^300  a  year — a 
good  start  for  a  young  man  of  £wenty-one.  This  was 
increased  to  ^550  upon  the  opening  of  the  first  section 
of  the  line,  and  to  ^700  in  January  1841.  In  January 
1846  it  was  raised  to  ^1000,  and  to  ^1500  a  year  on 
ist  January  1851. 

It  cannot  be  said  that  Mr  Gooch  came  to  the  Great 
Western  Railway  with  preconceived  views  in  favour  of 
the  Broad  Gauge.  On  the  contrary,  the  effect  of  his 

early  surroundings  must  have,  if  anythingat  all,  caused 

64 


The  Early  Broad  Gauge  Locomotives.  65 

him  to  lean  to  the  Narrow  Gauge,  since  he  was  born 
and  brought  up  among  the  ironworks  and  coal  mines  of 
Northumberland — the  home  of  Stephenson's  Waggon 
Gauge — while  his  experience  of  locomotive  building 
was  gained  under  the  direction  of  Mr  Robert  Stephen- 
son.  But  many  great  truths  are  in  some  way  revealed 
to  master  minds  ;  so  was  the  superiority  of  the  Broad 
Gauge  to  Daniel  Gooch.  He  says, — '  I  was  very  glad 
to  have  to  manage  the  Broad  Gauge,  which  filled  my 
mind  as  the  great  advance  of  the  age,  and  in  the 
soundness  of  which  I  was  a  firm  believer.' 

Before  Mr  Gooch  was  connected  with  the  Great 
Western  Railway  Mr  Brunei  had  ordered  several 
locomotives — six  from  the  Vulcan  Foundry  (where  Mr 
Gooch  had  served  under  Robert  Stephenson) ;  four 
from  Mather,  Dixon  and  Company,  Liverpool;  two  from 
Sharp,  Roberts  and  Company,  Manchester ;  two  from 
Hawthorne  and  Company,  Newcastle-on-Tyne ;  two 
from  the  Haigh  Foundry  Company ;  and,  most  curious 
to  mention,  two  from  R.  Stephenson  and  Company, 
Newcastle-on-Tyne.  These  two  were  built  from 
drawings  by  Mr  Gooch  himself,  having  been  intended 
for  a  Russian  railway  with  a  6  foot  gauge,  but  the 
money  not  being  forthcoming,  the  careful  firm  of 
Stephenson  and  Company  did  not  part  with  them,  so 
that  they  were  afterwards  altered  to  the  7  foot  gauge 
and  supplied  to  the  Great  Western  Railway.  They 
were  the  celebrated  'North  Star' — the  prototype  of 
the  modern  passenger  locomotive — and  her  sister 
engine  the  '  Evening  Star.' 

While  the  other  railways  and  the  locomotive 
builders  were  experimenting  with  engines  constructed 
in  every  possible  way,  some  with  four  and  some  with 
six  wheels,  outside  and  inside  cylinders,  with  bores  of 
from  6  inches  to  22  inches,  and  strokes  with  longer 
variations.  On  some  the  cylinders  were  vertical, 
others  would  be  inclined  or  horizontal,  with  bell 
cranks  and  all  manner  of  curious  contrivances  to  con- 
vey the  motion  ;  the  driving  wheel  placed  in  the  front, 

E 


66        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 


middle  or  rear  position,  at  times  coupled,  but  often 
not.  These  and  a  hundred  other  methods  were  being 
tried  on  the  Narrow  Gauge  at  the  time  the  Great 
Western  Railway  had  practically  settled  its  type  of 
engine,  which  type  even  to-day  would  still  pass  as  a 
good  style  of  engine,  exciting  little  comment  as  to  its 
appearance  among  the  ordinary  travelling  public. 
The  '  Vulcan  '  built  by  the  Vulcan  Foundry  Company, 
as  already  stated,  was  the  first  Broad  Gauge  loco- 
motive delivered  to  Mr  Gooch's  care. 

The  following  table  gives  the  principal  features 
of  the  earliest  Broad  Gauge's  engines,  that  is,  those 
ordered  by  Mr  Brunei  prior  to  Mr  Gooch  undertaking 
the  production  of  the  locomotive  power  of  the  Great 
Western  Railway :— 


W> 

d 

a 

8 
•o 

o 
<a 
u 

1 

">> 

'"*  -j 

O 

V 

B 

'"   O 

he 

Name. 

'o  " 

* 

i 

0) 

"1 

.S 

rt 

Builder. 

-"-  f*- 

V 

w 

2 

C  rv! 

0 

11 

1 

O 

'      rt 

4) 

K 

5 

.2 
Q 

8 

o 
H 

ft.  in. 

in. 

in. 

ft. 

ft. 

ft. 

Vulcan, 

8  o 

14 

16 

9-58 

55 

589 

Vulcan  Foundry 

Company. 

^Eolus, 

80 

14 

18 

57-15 

587 

Do. 

Bacchus,     . 

8  o 

14 

18 

57-15 

587 

Do. 

Venus,       1 

* 

Do. 

Neptune,  j- 

8  o 

12 

18 

52-35 

510 

Do. 

Apollo,     J 

Do. 

Ajax, 

IO  O 

14 

20 

IO.22 

57-3 

474 

Mather,    Dixon 

and  Company. 

North  Star, 

7  o 

16 

16 

13 

70.10 

724.8 

R.  Stephenson 

and  Company. 

Evening  Star, 

6  6 

16 

16 

13 

70.10 

705-4 

Do. 

Premier, 

6  o 

14 

14 

51.71 

377 

Sharp,  Roberts 

and  Company. 

Lion, 

7  o 

14 

18 

... 

S1-1? 

478 

Do. 

The  gross  weights  of  the  above  engines  with  tenders 
(loaded)  varied  from  23^-  tons  ('Lion')  to  29  tons 
('North  Star'). 


The  Early  Broad  Gaitge  Locomotives. 


67 


The  two  engines  built  by  the  Haigh  Foundry 
Company  had  driving  wheels  6  feet  in  diameter,  but 
geared  up  to  12  feet,  with  but  small  cylinders.  Of 
these  Mr  Gooch  says, — '  I  felt  very  uneasy  about  the 
working  of  these  machines,  feeling  they  would  have 
enough  to  do  to  drive  themselves  along  the  road.' 

Those  made  by  Hawthorne  and  Company  were  de- 
signed by  Mr  Thomas  Harrison,  and  were  most 
curious  examples  of  steam  locomotives.  Of  these  the 


THE    'PREMIER.' 
6  ft.  driving  wheels,  3  ft.  6  in.  leading  and  trailing  wheels,  cylinders,  14  in.  by  14  in. 

'Hurricane'  had  driving  wheels  10  feet  in  diameter, 
and  the  '  Thunderer '  had  wheels  6  feet  in  diameter, 
but  driven  by  a  gear  of  3  to  i,  so  that  they  were  equal 
to  wheels  of  18  feet  diameter.  The  fire-box  of  both 
these  engines  was  divided  into  two  parts  by  a  par- 
tition, and  the  boiler,  fire-box,  etc.,  was  on  one  truck, 
while  ^  the  motion  was  on  a  separate  truck.  The 
following  are  the  other  principal  dimensions  of  these 
remarkable  engines  : — 


68        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 


BOILERS. 

FIRE-BOX. 

HEATING  SURFACE. 

t 

. 

wi 

I 

,= 

3 

m 

V 

J 

p 

H 

Z 

V 

l> 

.a 

•§ 

H 

H 

.d 

j= 

£ 

X 
O 

H 

Ml 

WEIGHT. 

NAME. 

c 

M 

H 

o 

610 

c 

-3 

1 

,0 

o 

-a 

(empty.) 

•P 

.3 

o 

n 

^ 

i 

g 

g 

g 

fi 

o 

fc 

J3 

| 

rt 
bfi 

E  ' 

"(3 

V 

£ 

H 

in.         in. 

ft.  in. 

ft. 

ft. 

n. 

It.  in. 

ft 

ft.  in. 

ft. 

ft. 

ft. 

Hurricane, 
Thunderer, 

i6by  20 
i6by  20 

3  8 

8.7 

135 

8.7 

sl 

3  _8^ 
mila 

5 

r 

4  I 

to 

108.26 
above, 

17.12 

5'6.37 

II  tons. 
12  tons. 

In  the  geared  engine  the  wheels  were  coupled. 

The  steam  to  the  cylinders,  and  the  exhaust  to  the 
funnel,  were  conveyed  from  one  vehicle  to  another 
by  a  novel  'universal  steam  joint.'  Mr  Harrison 
adopted  a  plan  to  tighten  the  cog-wheels  should  they 
become  loose  by  being  worn.  The  water  tank  was 
placed  beneath  the  frame  of  the  boiler  carriage. 

The  fault  with  these  early  engines  was  the  ex- 
tremely limited  amount  of  heating  surface,  thus  the 
'  Ajax/  with  10  feet  driving  wheels,  only  had  474  feet 
of  heating  surface,  while  the  '  North  Star/  with  7  feet 
wheels,  had  724.8  feet,  and  a  modern  engine  has  some 
1500  feet,  and  works  with  a  steam  pressure  three 
times  as  great.  No  wonder  that  engines  built  on 
such  lines  proved  failures.  Had  those  with  the  10 
feet  wheels  and  the  geared  ones  been  equipped  with 
sufficient  boiler  power  the  result  of  their  performances 
would  have  been  very  different. 

The  Great  Western  Railway  stock  at  the  end  of 
1838  consisted  of  fourteen  locomotives,  costing  ^1980 
each ;  forty-two  first-class  carriages,  costing  ^544 
each  ;  forty  second-class  carriages,  costing  ^351  each  ; 
one  hundred  and  eighteen  trucks  and  waggons,  costing 
;£io6  each,  or  a  total  value  of  ,£90,976  for  the  rolling 
stock  then  possessed  by  the  Company. 

In  later  years  the  10  feet  wheels  of  the  '  Ajax '  and 
*  Hurricane '  were  put  to  a  novel  use,  being  lent  by 
the  Great  Western  Railway  Company  to  convey  the 


The  Early  Broad  Gauge  Locomotives.  69 

bronze  statue  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  to  Hyde 
Park  Corner.  Some  of  these  early  engines  were 
provided  with  a  projection  in  front,  extending  from 
the  smoke  box  to  the  buffer  beam,  and  shaped  like  the 
bow  of  a  ship,  the  designer  being  under  the  impression 
that  such  a  contrivance  would  offer  less  resistance  to 
the  air,  and  that,  consequently,  the  train  would  be  able 
to  travel  at  an  increased  speed  ;  but  from  experiments 
that  were  made,  it  was  found  that  no  advantage  was 
obtained  by  using  this  prow  in  front  of  the  engine, 
and  it  was  discarded  ;  yet  such  is  the  truth  of  the  Wise 
Man's  words,  '  Nothing  new  under  the  sun,'  that  a 
French  railway  is  at  this  moment  building  loco- 
motives fitted  with  a  similar  prow,  under  the  impres- 
sion that  so  fitted  they  will  offer  less  resistance  to  the 
air. 

De  Pambour  (a  Frenchman  who  came  to  England, 
to  make  experiments  on  railways),  on  3d  August  1839, 
attained  a  speed  of  55.4  miles  for  over  2  miles,  with 
the  '  Evening  Star  '  ?  on  a  trip  to  Maidenhead,  with  the 
engine,  tender,  and  eight  people.  A  higher  speed 
could  have  been  attained  had  the  pumps  for  supplying 
the  boiler  been  larger,  but  at  this  speed  the  engine 
evaporated  the  water  quicker  than  the  pumps  supplied 
it,  so  that  speed  had  to  be  reduced.  He  covered  14 
consecutive  miles  as  follows  : — 8  at  the  rate  of  45  miles 
an  hour,  4  at  48,  and  2  at  55.4.  Pambour  mentions 
that  this  engine  had  7  feet  driving  wheels,  while  the 
table  we  give  on  a  previous  page  gives  the  '  Evening 
Star '  with  driving  wheels  6  feet  6  inches  in  diameter 
only.  It  was  therefore  probably  the  'North  Star* 
that  he  used. 

The  first  engines  Mr  Gooch  designed  were  of  two 
classes  known  as  the  '  Firefly'  and  'Fury/  and  both 
of  them  were  exceptionally  good.  Their  dimensions 
were : — 

Driving  Wheels.  Cylinders.  Heating  Surface. 

Firefly,       .        7  ft.        15  by  18  in.  stroke.       700  ft. 
Fury,          .        6  ft.        14  by  1 8  in.  stroke.       608  ft. 


70        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Mr  Gooch  had  the  engines  of  these  classes  fitted 
with  steel  tyres,  for  which  he  had  taken  out  a  patent, 
as,  although  the  tyres  only  contained  a  fifth  part  of 
sheer  steel,  that  commodity  fifty  years  ago  was  a  very 
expensive  item,  and  the  price  prevented  the  general 
introduction  of  these  improved  tyres  to  any  other 
wheels  than  the  engines  and  tenders.  The  results  ob- 
tained were  very  good,  many  of  the  locomotives  fitted 
with  these  patent  tyres  running  between  200,000  and 
300,000  miles  before  they  required  to  be  re-tyred.  So 
that,  in  the  long  run,  the  result  was  certainly  a  con- 
siderable economy. 

These  engines  were  built  by  various  makers,  the 
most  satisfactory  by  the  Leeds  firm  of  Fenton,  Murray 
and  Jackson. 

Mr  Gooch  thus  writes  of  these  engines — his  first 
venture  in  locomotive  designing  : — '  I  may  with  con- 
fidence, after  these  engines  have  been  working  for 
twenty  -  eight  years,  say  that  no  better  engines  for 
their  weight  have  since  been  constructed  either  by  my- 
self or  others.  They  have  done,  and  continue  to  do, 
admirable  duty  ;  advantage  has  been  taken  of  new 
cylinders  being  required  to  give  them  an  extra  inch  in 
diameter  *  and  4  inches  more  in  stroke,  and  expansion 
gear  has  been  added  ;  in  other  respects  the  engines  are 
the  same.'  The  '  Witch '  had  driving  wheels  7  feet  6 
inches  in  diameter,  and  was  the  only  Broad  Gauge 
engine  of  its  class.  We  will  conclude  this  chapter  with 
a  description  of  the  early  Broad  Gauge  passenger 
coaches,  each  of  which  ran  on  six  wheels,  while  the 
Narrow  Gauge  vehicles  had  but  four  wheels,  so  that  at 
first  the  Great  Western  Railway  introduced  one  of  the 
very  best  protections  for  the  safety  of  its  passengers. 
The  Narrow  Gauge  carriage  designers  have  long  since 
copied  the  example  set  by  Mr  Brunei.  They  now  one 
and  all  declare  that  there  is  great  risk  in  running  four- 
wheel  vehicles,  for,  should  an  axle  break  or  a  wheel 
come  off,  nothing  can  save  a  carriage  having  but  four 
*  Thanks  to  the  margin  allowed  by  the  Broad  Gauge. 


The  Early  Broad  Gauge  Locomotives.  7 1 

wheels,  while  a  six  or  eight  wheel  one  is,  comparatively 
speaking,  safe,  in  the  event  of  such  a  mishap. 

Mr  Brunei's  original  idea,  and  one  that  in- 
fluenced to  a  considerable  degree  the  width  of  gauge 
chosen  by  him,  was  to  hang  the  railway  carriages 
between  the  wheels,  after  the  manner  of  road  vehicles. 
Only  one  coach,  however,  appears  to  have  been  so 
constructed,  although  much  larger  wheels  were  always 
used  on  the  Broad  Gauge  than  on  the  Narrow.  The 
Broad  Gauge  allowing  the  centre  of  gravity  to  be 
raised  with  perfect  safety,  the  wheels  were  made  to 
enter  the  floors  of  the  carriages,  being,  of  course, 
boxed  over.  This  latter  method  was  rather  awk- 
ward to  passengers,  when  the  wheel  happened  to 
be  just  under  the  door  of  a  compartment,  as  un- 
wary passengers  were  likely  to  fall  over  the  pro- 
jecting box.  While  the  Narrow  Gauge  lines  could 
only  use  wheels  of  3  feet  diameter  for  their  rolling 
stock,  the  Broad  Gauge  were  able  to  construct  theirs 
with  wheels  of  3  feet  6  inches,  4  feet,  and  even  4  feet 
6  inches  diameter,  thus  causing  the  vehicles  to  travel 
with  less  noise  and  vibration,  and  considerable  ease 
and  extreme  smoothness  at  the  highest  velocity. 

The  first-class  carriages  had  four  compartments, 
each  with  accommodation  for  eight  passengers,  and 
weighed  7  tons  8  cwt.  The  second-class  had  six  com- 
partments of  twelve  passengers,  and  weighed  7  tons  5 
cwt.  So  that  with  the  additional  security  of  six  wheels 
to  each  vehicle,  the  dead  weight  to  be  carried  for  each 
first-class  passenger  was  only  588  Ibs.,  and  for  each 
second-class  passenger  225  Ibs.,  while  on  the  Narrow 
Gauge  lines  the  second-class  passenger  required  238 
Ibs.  of  dead  weight  to  be  conveyed  per  person.  The 
dead  weight  for  each  first-class  passenger  on  the 
Narrow  Gauge  was  631  Ibs,  and  these  in  unsafe  four- 
wheel  carriages. 

The  first  Broad  Gauge  carriages  were  built  by 
Davis  of  Wigmore  Street,  London,  and  were  21  feet 
long,  with  four  compartments,  or  18  feet  long  with 


72        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

only  three.  They  were  8  feet  wide  and  about  6  feet 
6  inches  high,  these  dimensions  being  very  consider- 
ably larger  than  those  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  vehicles  ; 
and  they  were  fitted  with  the  '  clerestory '  roof,  and 
copper  gauze  wire  panels  for  ventilation,  covered  with 
wooden  slides.  Some  of  the  first-class  compartments 
had  a  door  in  the  centre,  thus  being  divided  into  two 
small  rooms,  each  for  four  persons.  The  Great  Western 
Railway  has  continued  the  use  of  the  '  clerestory '  roofs 
for  its  passenger  rolling  stock,  and  is  justly  famed  for 
the  improvement,  the  Midland  Railway  has  copied  the 
Broad  Gauge  in  this  respect,  many  of  its  best  carriages 
having  the  raised  roofs  and  ventilators.  The  public 
was  not  long  before  it  found  out  the  great  superiority 
of  the  Great  Western  Railway  carriages.  A  writer  in 
1838  thus  describes  them  : — '  Those  upon  the  Liverpool 
and  Manchester  Railway  possess  many  advantages  both 
of  beauty  and  convenience,  but  still  they  are  far  sur 
passed  by  those  placed  upon  the  Great  Western  Railway 
by  Brunei,  which  are  complete  with  every  convenience 
and  luxury,  being  almost  gorgeously  fitted  up.  They 
are  particularly  spacious  and  complete,  with  sofas 
and  all  the  appliances  for  the  agreeable  occupation 
of  time. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE    EARLY    DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    RAILWAY. 

BEFORE  we  commence  to  narrate  the  greatest  epoch  in 
the  history  of  the  Great  Western  Railway,  it  will  be  as 
well  to  shortly  describe  the  general  position  of  the 
railway  at  the  commencement  of  1845 — on  the  eve  °f 
the  '  Battle  of  the  Gauges.'  Having  already  in  pre- 
vious chapters  dealt  with  the  main  Hne  of  the  Great 
Western  Railway,  we  will  turn  our  attention  to  the 
branches,  etc.,  of  this  railway.  At  this  time  the  Great 
Western  system  consisted  of— 

G.W.R.  London  to  Bristol,      .  n8|- miles 

Branch,  Didcot  to  Oxford,       .  10       „ 

Bristol  and  Exeter  Railway,     .  72       ,, 
Do.              do.,             branch  to 

Weston-Super-Mare,    .  2        ,, 
G.W.  and  Cheltenham   Union, 

Swindon  to  Cirencester,        .  18 


Total,     .         .       22oj-  miles. 


At  this  early  period  of  its  history  the  Great 
Western  Railway  was  considerably  the  largest  of  the 
sixty-six  railways  then  open  for  traffic,  the  Midland 
standing  second  with  a  length  of  179  miles.  The 
Oxford  branch  was  opened  on  i2th  June  1844,  and, 
as  is  very  rarely  the  case,  was  constructed  for  less  than 
the  estimated  amount,  and  was  opened  before  the  date 
originally  fixed  for  its  completion. 

The  Bristol  and  Exeter  line  had  been  opened  in 

73 


74        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

sections,  the  entire  length  being  opened  on  ist  May 
1844;  it  was  a  very  level  line  to  construct,  and  with 
one  exception  had  no  great  engineering  works. 
Leaving  Bristol,  it  rises  i  in  436  for  4f  miles,  then 
falls  i  in  355  for  5^  miles ;  for  the  next  28  miles  it  is 
practically  level,  the  fall  being  but  i  in  3745  ;  the 
gradient  next  rises  i  in  875  for  8|r  miles,  then  i  in  355 
for  6^,  then  to  the  summit  through  the  Whiteball 
Tunnel  the  rise  is  i  in  127  for  4  miles,  level  for  i  mile, 
falls  for  5  miles  i  in  227,  and  then  right  the  way  to 
Exeter,  17  miles,  it  falls  i  in  463.  These  were  the 
ruling  gradients,  but  some  short  pieces  are  as  bad  as 
i  in  90. 

The  exception  alluded  to  above  is  the  Whiteball 
Tunnel,  on  an  incline  of  i  in  127.  So  great  was  the 
progress  made  in  the  art  of  tunnelling  that  this  tunnel 
only  cost  ^53  a  yard  to  construct,  while  the  Box 
Tunnel,  built  two  or  three  years  earlier,  cost  ^100  a 
yard,  and  the  Cheltenham  Tunnel,  a  year  or  so  later, 
but  ^34  a  yard,  although  originally  estimated  to  cost 
^"136  a  yard,  while  in  October  1844  Mr  Brunei  had 
received  tenders  to  construct  tunnels  at  the  low  price 
of  ^28  a  yard. 

The  Weston  branch  was  worked  by  horse  power. 
The  1 8  miles  of  the  Great  Western  and  Cheltenham 
Union  line  that  was  first  opened  consisted  of  14  miles 
of  the  main  line,  Swindon  to  Kemble,  and  a  branch 
from  the  latter  to  Cirencester,  4  miles  in  length. 

The  Bristol  and  Gloucester  Railway  was  opened 
in  July  1844.  The  line  from  Stonehouse  to  Glou- 
cester was  part  of  the  Great  Western  and  Cheltenham 
Union  Railway,  this  portion  used  by  the  Bristol  and 
Gloucester  Railway  Company  having  been  completed 
before  the  connecting  part  from  Kemble  to  Gloucester 
to  enable  the  Bristol  and  Gloucester  Company  to  open 
their  line  throughout  without  delay. 

Upon  the  opening  of  the  Bristol  and  Exeter 
Railway  the  up  night  mail  left  Exeter  at  9.35  P.M., 
and  arrived  at  Paddington  at  3.40  A.M. 


The  Early  Development  of  the  Railway.          75 

The  present  times  are,  depart  10.34  P.M.,  arrive 
4  A.M.,  or  an  acceleration  of  only  35  minutes  in  fifty 
years.  This  of  itself  is  very  good  evidence  of  the 
superior  speed  attained  by  the  Broad  Gauge  at  its 
inception,  the  mail  from  Liverpool  to  London  on 
the  Narrow  Gauge  at  that  time  taking  nearly  as 
long  again  on  the  journey  as  it  does  at  the  present 
time,  leaving  Liverpool  at  8  P.M.  and  arriving  at 
Euston  at  5.32  A.M.,  while  the  mail,  from  Chester 
took  8  hours  10  minutes  against  4  hours  12  minutes 
at  the  present  time. 

Two  sensational  mail  robberies  on  one  occasion 
happened  to  the  up  and  down  Exeter  mails  in  1849. 
The  up  mail  leaving  Plymouth  at  6.35  P.M.,  and 
Exeter  at  9  P.M.,  arrived  at  Bridgewater  at  10.30 
P.M.  At  this  station  various  bags  'of  letters,  which 
had  accumulated  in  the  post-office  van  during 
the  trip,  were,  in  accordance  with  the  usual 
custom  of  the  guard,  placed  in  a  tender  im- 
mediately at  the  rear  of  the  post  -  office  van,  and 
securely  locked  up.  The  train,  in  addition  to  the 
post  -  office  tender,  consisted  of  six  or  seven  first 
and  second-class  carriages,  and  left  Bridgewater  in  due 
course  and  proceeded  on  its  journey  to  Bristol,  the 
run  between  these  two  places  being  timed  to  occupy 
i  hour  10  minutes  without  stoppage  at  any  station. 
On  the  arrival  of  the  train  at  Bristol  shortly  before 
midnight,  the  guard  went  to  the  tender  in  the  rear 
of  the  post  -  office,  in  order  to  deliver  the  Bristol 
bags,  when  he  found  that  all  the  bags  had  more  or 
less  been  tampered  with,  some  being  cut  open  and 
others  left  with  the  seals  broken  and  strings  untied. 
He  then  found  that  all  the  money  or  registered  letters, 
as  well  as  the  bankers'  parcels,  had  been  abstracted. 
Without  a  moment's  loss  of  time  he  communi- 
cated, first  with  the  two  travelling  post  -  office 
clerks  accompanying  the  mail,  and  subsequently  with 
the  post-office  authorities  at  Bristol.  The  guard 
was  quite  positive  the  bags  were  safe  when  the  train 


76        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

left  Bridge  water,  and  as  no  stoppage  had  taken  place 
between  that  town  and  the  City  of  Bristol,  it  was 
evident  that  the  robbery  must  have  been  effected 
by  some  parties  travelling  by  the  train,  and  while 
it  was  in  motion. 

After  a  few  moments'  consultation,  it  was  resolved 
to  send  the  Metropolitan  bags  on  to  London  in  the 
state  in  which  the  guard  had  discovered  them,  and, 
accordingly,  the  train  left  Bristol  on  its  upward 
journey  after  a  very  short  delay.  On  reaching  town 
at  an  early  hour  the  next  morning,  the  guard  pro- 
ceeded direct  to  the  post-office  in  St  Martin-le-Grand, 
and  made  a  full  report.  The  various  bags  were  im- 
mediately examined,  when  it  was  found  that  not 
only  were  the  whole  of  the  registered  letters  and 
bankers'  parcels  abstracted,  but  in  some  cases  the 
bills  on  which  all  registered  letters  and  valuable 
parcels  are  entered  were  also  missing,  so  that  it 
was  impossible  to  say  how  far  the  plunder  had 
extended.  Information  was  then  forwarded  by  the 
post-office  authorities  to  the  various  city  banking- 
houses,  so  that  a  check  might  be  put  upon  the 
disposal  of  the  contents  of  the  stolen  letters. 

Later  in  the  afternoon  information  reached  town  of 
a  second  robbery,  precisely  similar  in  character,  per- 
petrated on  the  down  mail  which  left  London  at  8.55 
P.M.  on  the  previous  evening.  In  this  case  the  bags 
deposited  in  the  tender  were  perfectly  safe  on  the 
arrival  of  the  train  at  Bristol  at  1.15  A.M.  On  the 
tender  being  opened  at  Bridgewater,  a  scene  similar 
to  that  previously  observed  at  Bristol  presented  itself, 
all  the  bags  were  more  or  less  mutilated  or  disturbed, 
and  the  more  valuable  contents  abstracted  therefrom. 
The  suspected  thieves  were  this  time  luckily  arrested. 
The  parties  alluded  to  were  two  men  of  respectable 
appearance,  both  of  whom  travelled  in  a  first-class 
carriage,  occupying  the  next  compartment  to  the  post- 
office  tender.  Their  implication  in  the  affair  was 
placed  beyond  doubt  by  the  discovery  of  several 


The  Early  Development  of  the  Railway,  77 

registered  letters  and  money  parcels  in  the  carriage  in 
which  they  rode.  Immediately  upon  their  apprehen- 
sion they  were  conveyed  to  Exeter,  where,  upon  in- 
vestigation, it  was  ascertained  their  names  were  Poole 
and  Nightingale.  It  appeared  that  the  men  did  not 
enter  the  train  at  Exeter,  but  proceeded  by  private 
conveyance  to  Laira,  the  extremity  of  the  South 
Devon  Railway.  They  did  this  in  order  the  more 
effectually  to  enable  them  to  conceal  their  disguises,  and 
also  to  prevent  the  recognition  of  Poole  by  the  railway 
clerks  and  porters  at  the  Exeter  Station.  On  leaving 
Bridgewater,  one  of  the  men,  if  not  both,  left  the  com- 
partment of  the  carriage  in  which  they  had  been 
seated,  and  having  taken  about  three  steps  (a  feat  of 
no  great  difficulty  as  appears  from  the  peculiar  con- 
struction of  the  Great  Western  carriages)  were  enabled 
to  reach  the  door  of  the  post-office  tender,  which  they 
opened  and  entered.  Having  selected  their  booty, 
they  left  the  tender  on  its  slackening  towards  Bristol, 
and  quitted  the  train.  Having  secreted  the  stolen 
property  in  Bristol,  they  returned  to  the  station  to 
take  the  down  train.  Here  they  arrived  at  what  was 
called  the  '  Exeter  shed '  of  the  Bristol  Station  some 
minutes  before  the  arrival  of  the  down  train  and  before 
the  door  of  the  booking-office  was  opened';  Mr  Lee,  a 
retired  tradesman  of  Clifton,  was  waiting  at  the  door 
when  the  two  men  came  up.  Nightingale  advanced 
first,  and  Poole,  on  seeing  the  stranger,  receded  a  few 
yards,  taking  up  his  position  under  an  arch.  Mr  Lee 
made  some  common-place  observations  about  the  non- 
arrival  of  the  train,  which,  however,  Nightingale  did 
not  answer  but  turned  away  and  joined  Poole  under 
the  arch.  Here  they  carried  on  a  conversation  for 
some  time  in  a  low  whisper,  and  on  the  bell  ringing 
announcing  the  arrival  of  the  train  the  two  men  made 
towards  the  booking-office.  Poole  passed  through  the 
office,  and,  observing  Mr  Lee  looking  at  him,  turned 
away  his  head.  The  manner  in  which  Poole  passed 
through  the  station,  coupled  with  the  circumstances 


78        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

which  took  place  outside,  excited  that  gentleman's 
suspicions.  Mr  Lee  determined  to  watch  their  pro- 
ceedings, and  having  received  his  ticket,  proceeded  to 
the  end  of  the  Exeter  shed,  in  order  that  he  might  see 
their  movements,  while  he  remained  unobserved.  He 
was,  however,  disappointed  in  his  expectation,  for 
although  he  could  distinctly  hear  two  persons  talking 
one  to  another  in  a  subdued  voice  he  could  not  see 
them,  nor  could  he  tell  precisely  from  what  point  the 
sounds  proceeded.  On  the  ringing  of  the  bell  for 
the  departure  of  the  train  the  two  men  suddenly  rushed 
forward,  one  from  either  side  of  the  train,  where  they 
had  probably  been  watching  the  post-office  tender  to 
ascertain  whether  or  not  anyone  was  placed  there. 
They  went  forward  to  the  first-class  carriages,  and  the 
door  of  one  of  them  was  opened  for  them.  Nightin- 
gale exclaimed,  '  No,  that  won't  do  ;  we  must  have  a 
compartment  to  ourselves.'  The  guard  then  showed 
them  to  another  carriage  in  which  they  took  their  seats, 
it  is  supposed  that  immediately  on  the  starting  of  the 
train  the  thieves  commenced  their  operations. 

Here  are  some  more  robberies. 

At  the  end  of  1844  the  messenger  who  was  dis- 
patched from  Paddington  Station  to  a  bank  in  the  city 
with  the  takings  of  one  day,  amounting  to  ^1287, 
is.  4d.,  alleged  that  the  money  disappeared  in  transit 
between  the  two  places,  while  on  another  occasion  the 
booking-offices  at  Paddington  were  broken  into  and 
considerable  sums  of  money  stolen.  Then  there  were 
the  notorious  luggage  robberies  on  the  Great  Western 
Railway,  and  the  subsequent  conviction  of  the  thieves, 
who  were  railway  officials,  and  systematically  carried 
out  the  most  audacious  robberies  of  passengers'  luggage. 
To  Mr  Nash,  a  solicitor  who  brought  the  miscreants 
to  justice,  at  the  expense  of  his  own  fortune,  the 
travelling  public  of  fifty  years  ago  owed  an  unrequited 
debt  of  gratitude.  Not  only  did  the  thieves  send 
letters  threatening  to  murder  Mr  Nash  if  he  proceeded 
with  the  cases  against  them,  but  when  on  one  count 


The  Early  Development  of  the  Railway.          79 

one  of  them  was  discharged  for  want  of  conclusive 
evidence,  he  started  an  action  against  Mr  Nash  for  false 
imprisonment,  in  which  he  was  backed  up  by  a  Great 
Western  Director  ;  but  this  aggressive  thief  did  not 
succeed,  for  before  the  case  came  on  for  trial  he  was 
convicted  on  another  charge  of  luggage  robbery  ;  the 
heavy  expenses  incurred  in  the  various  proceedings, 
however,  resulted  in  the  bankruptcy  of  Mr  Nash,  and 
the  Great  Western  Railway  ungenerously  refused  to 
help  him,  and  discharged  him  their  service — a  good 
reward  for  zealousness  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties, 
surely ! 

At  the  present  time  railway  managers  pride  them- 
selves on  their  carefulness  and  economical  working, 
if  they  can  succeed  in  keeping  the  expenses  some- 
where about  52  per  cent,  of  the  receipts,  We  can  there- 
fore well  imagine  what  exuberation  would  be  theirs 
(and  the  shareholders  also)  if  they  could  manage  the 
line  so  that  the  working  expenses  were  only  34^-  per 
cent,  of  the  revenue.  This  was  the  proportion  on  the 
Great  Western  Railway  for  the  second  half  of  1843  > 
but,  alas!  undoubtedly  these  halcyon  days  of  10  per 
cent,  railway  dividends  have  gone  like  many  more  of 
the  pleasing  things  of  '  the  good  old  times '  never 
to  return. 

In  these  early  days  railways  did  not  have  the 
time-table  books  as  now  issued,  nor  did  they  post 
up  time  bills  on  the  station  walls,  but  time-table  bills 
could  generally  be  obtained  on  application  to  the 
booking  clerk.  This  was  anything  but  a  satisfactory 
method  of  dispensing  the  necessary  information  as 
to  the  running  of  the  trains,  and  caused  intending 
passengers  a  great  deal  of  inconvenience  and  loss  of 
time  and  general  delay  to  all  concerned.  The  Great 
Western  Railway,  however,  was  more  generous  than 
the  other  lines,  and  obviated  this  cause  of  annoyance 
by  hanging  up  the  '  train  bills '  at  all  their  stations 
in  the  same  way  as  they  do  excursion  handbills  now, 
so  that  a  traveller  could  obtain  a  time  table  at  any 


8o        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

time,  and  not  be  dependent  on  the  booking  clerk 
for  the  particulars  of  the  running  of  the  trains. 

If  anyone  were  weather  hardened  enough  to  travel 
third  class,  and  time  was  no  object — or  at  least  not  such 
an  important  object  as  money — he  could  travel  third 
class  in  an  open  carriage  attached  to  the  goods  trains, 
which  left  Paddington  at  4.30  A.M.  and  9.30  P.M.,  and 
in  sixteen  hours  (if  nothing  occurred  to  delay  the  train) 
he  would  be  landed  at  Taunton,  a  distance  of  163 
miles ;  but  Mr  Gladstone's  parliamentary  train  act  of 
1844  improved  the  lot  of  the  third-class  passengers, 
giving  them  the,  at  that  time,  luxury  of  a  covered 
carriage  and  a  seat,  and  a  minimum  speed  of  1 2  miles 
an  hour  including  stoppages.  On  ist  November 
1844,  the  Great  Western  started  its  parliamentary 
trains,  and  took  care  to  take  the  full  time  allowed, 
for  the  journey  between  Bristol  and  London  took 
9-g-  hours — the  train  left  at  7  A.M.  and  stopped  at  all 
stations  ;  the  up  train  left  Bristol  at  half-past  nine 
each  morning.  The  passengers  to  stations  beyond 
Bristol  had  to  spend  the  night  there,  as  the  Company 
took  advantage  of  the  Bristol  and  Exeter  Railway 
being  a  semi-independent  company  to  arrange  for  the 
parliamentary  trains  on  that  line  not  to  run  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Great  Western  Railway  trains.  After 
this  date,  third-class  passengers  had  still  the  option  of 
travelling  by  the  9.30  P.M.  goods,  but  not  by  the 
4.30  A.M.  goods  train.  On  ist  January  1846,  the 
third-class  passengers  between  London  and  Bristol 
had  another  train  each  way  daily  put  on  for  their 
convenience,  and  on  the  same  date  the  Great  Western 
Railway  discarded  the  old-fashioned  paper  tickets  as 
used  by  the  stage  coaches,  and  adopted  Edmondson's 
invention  of  cardboard, — now  universal.  Up  to  5th 
August  1844,  first  and  second-class  passengers  had 
enjoyed  fas. privilege  of  being  conveyed  by  goods  trains 
on  the  Bristol  and  Exeter  Railway,  but  on  that  date 
they  had  this  great  advantage  taken  from  them. 

In  these  exclusive  days  of  fifty  years  ago,  not  only 


The  Early  Development  of  the  Railway.          8 1 

was  each  class  provided  with  distinct  booking  offices^ 
(not  pigeon  holes),  which  still  remain  at  some  stations 
on  the  South  Devon  and  Cornwall  lines,  but  the 
platforms  were  divided  by  barriers  into  first,  second 
and  third-class  portions. 

On  Monday,  2d  September  1844,  the  Great 
Western  Railway  ran  their  first  excursion.  The 
train  left  London  at  7  A.M.  for  Bath  and  Bristol, 
from  which  city  it  was  continued  on  the  Tuesday 
morning  to  Taunton  and  Exeter.  The  return 
train  left  Exeter  at  4  P.M.  on  the  same  day, 
the  night  again  being  spent  at  Bristol  or  Bath, 
and  passengers  reaching  London  on  Wednesday 
afternoon.  The  fares  were  : — 

London  to  Bath  and  back,  283.  first  class,  193. 
second ;  London  to  Bristol,  303.  first,  203.  second ; 
London  to  Exeter,  485.  first,  313.  second  ;  and  if  one 
person  purchased  seventy  tickets  or  over,  a  discount 
of  is.  on  each  ticket  was  allowed.  Some  500 
persons  left  Paddington  by  this  maiden  excursion  of 
the  Great  Western  Railway,  and  the  number  was 
doubled  by  those  who  joined  the  train  at  Slough, 
Reading  and  other  stations.  This  was  the  founda- 
tion of  the  famous  Broad  Gauge  excursions  to  the 
West  of  England  that  have  ever  since  been  growing 
in  popularity. 

The  following  statistics  relating  to  the  Great 
Western  Railway  in  the  '  early  forties  '  are  of  interest. 
In  1846,  nineteen  trains  left  Paddington  daily,  to-day 
the  number  is  over  one  hundred.  The  number  of 
passengers  conveyed  from  the  opening  to  3ist  Decem- 
ber 1845  were  : — 

1838  (from  the  4th  of  June),         .        264,644 

1839, 606,396 

1840, 1,024,217 

1,541,656 


Carryforward,     3,436,913 


82        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Brought  forward,  3,436,913 

1842, ......  1,606,015 

1843,.  .  .  1,629,150 

1844,.  .  1,791,272 

1845*  •  •  2,441,255 

10,904,605 


The  following  figures  relate  to  the  second  half  ot 
1845:- 

Miles  open,  .....  245 

Train  miles  run,  ....  1,090,612 
Number  of  passengers,  .  .  1,411,504 
Miles  travelled  ....  47,938,473 
Tons  of  goods,  .  .  .  .  151,212 

In  1846  the  House  of  Lords  ordered  the  Board  of 
Trade  to  make  a  return  of  the  railway  rolling  stock 
owned  by  the  various  railways.  The  Broad  Gauge  at 
that  time  possessed  the  following  : — 

G.  W.  R.  121  engines,  232  carriages,  919  waggons,  trucks,  etc. 
B.  &  E.  R.  ii      „  20        „          213 

The  Great  Western  Railway  had  the  largest  num- 
ber of  locomotives.  The  London  and  Birmingham 
coming  next  with  117.  While  the  Newtyle  and 
Coupar  Angus  came  last  with  i  engine  2  car- 
riages and  48  trucks.  The  South  Eastern  Railway 
in  this  first  return  had  the  most  carriages  (409).  while 
the  Pontop  and  South  Shields  had  the  largest  number 
of  trucks  (2649),  but  had  no  passenger  vehicles,  hiring 
these  latter  from  the  Newcastle  and  Darlington  Rail- 
way. 

The  cloakroom  for  passengers'  left  luggage  was 
another  great  public  convenience  originally  intro- 
duced by  the  Great  Western  Railway.  The  experi- 
ment was  first  tried  at  the  Bath  Station  in  July  1846, 


The  Early  Development  of  the  Railway.          83 

and  the  practice  appears  to  have  been  exactly  similiar 
to  that  now  prevailing.  '  A  man  appointed  for  that 
purpose  has  a  room  in  which  the  articles  are  kept 
separate  and  locked  up.  A  printed  receipt  is  given 
to  the  passenger  who  deposits  luggage,  and  in  order 
to  meet  the  responsibility  and  additional  expense,  a 
charge  of  2d.  upon  each  article  is  made  by  the  Com- 
pany. As  far  as  it  has  yet  gone,  the  plan  is  stated  to 
work  well,  and  likely  to  prove  a  great  accommo- 
dation,' which  it  certainly  has. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  GAUGES THE  BROAD  GAUGE 

LEADERS. 

THE  great  success  of  the  existing  railways  having 
amply  proved  the  lucrativeness  of  railway  undertakings 
as  investments,  it  was  but  natural  that  speculators  and 
capitalists  should  turn  their  attention  to  promoting  new 
railway  companies. 

The  directors  and  officials  of  existing  lines  recog- 
nising that  '  self-preservation  is  the  first  law  of  nature,' 
immediately  took  steps  to  defend  their  territories,  but 
in  this  eagerness  to  protect  their  property,  they  made 
the  mistake  of  taking  offensive  action,  when  defensive 
measures  would  have  sufficed. 

The  Directors  of  the  Great  Western  Railway  in 
common  with  those  of  other  railways  fell  into  this  error 
by  giving  support  and  encouragement  to  projected  lines 
that  were  directly  hostile  to  their  neighbours,  the 
London  and  South-Western  on  one  side,  and  the 
London  and  Birmingham  on  the  other. 

To  enable  this,  the  most  momentous  and  exciting 
period  in  the  whole  history  of  English  railway  enter- 
prise, to  be  properly  understood,  we  purpose  treating 
the  '  Battle  of  the  Gauges  '  under  three  heads,  viz.  : — 
The  Commercial  Battle ; 
The  Parliamentary  Battle ;  and 
The  Engineering  Battle. 

But  before  doing  so,  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to 
give  some  particulars  of  the  careers  of  the  Broad 
Gauge  champions,  all  of  whom  were  connected  with 
the  Great  Western  Railway. 

84 


ISAMBARD  KINGDOM  BRUNEL. 

Born  gth  April  1806.      Died  I5th  September  1859. 


The  Broad  Gauge  Leaders.  87 

These  were : — 

Isambard  Kingdom  Brunei,  the  Engineer ; 
Daniel  Gooch,  the  Locomotive  Superintendent ;  and 
Charles  Alexander  Saunders,  the  Secretary. 

ISAMBARD  KINGDOM  BRUNEI;. 

Isambard  Kingdom  Brunei  was  born  at  Portsmouth 
on  9th  April  1806.  He  was  the  only  son  of  Mr  (after- 
wards Sir)  Marc  Isambard  Brunei,  who  occupied  an 
important  position  in  the  Royal  Dockyard  at  Ports- 
mouth. 

No  wonder  that  the  young  Isambard  should  early 
develop  a  taste  for  engineering,  being  brought  up 
amongst  scientific  instruments  and  books,  while  the 
dockyard  afforded  scope  to  his  budding  genius  in  ex- 
amining the  various  machines,  many  of  which  his  father, 
who  was  a  celebrated  engineer,  had  designed.  The 
elder  Brunei  was  born  in  Normandy,  but  being  an 
ardent  Royalist,  when  the  Revolution  broke  out  he 
was  compelled  to  flee  to  America,  where  he  was  ap- 
pointed Engineer  to  the  State  of  New  York ;  after- 
wards coming  to  England,  he  obtained  an  appointment 
in  the  Portsmouth  Dockyard. 

His  son  Kingdom  early  developed  a  taste  for  draw- 
ing, and  when  only  four  years  old  he  had  executed 
some,  for  such  a  child,  remarkably  clever  sketches. 
When  he  was  eight  years  old  the  family  moved  to 
Chelsea,  and  his  father  spent  much  of  his  spare  time  in 
teaching  Kingdom  mathematics,  in  which  science  he 
proved  a  most  apt  scholar.  Shortly  after  he  was  sent 
to  a  school  at  Hove,  near  Brighton,  wrhere  his  talent 
for  engineering  soon  showed  itself,  as  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter  written  in  1820,  when  but  fourteen 
years  old,  and  addressed  to  his  mother,  shows, — '  I 
have  been  making  half  a  dozen  boats  lately,  till  I 
have  worn  my  hands  to  pieces.  I  have  also  taken  a 
plan  of  Hove,  which  is  a  very  amusing  job.  I  should  be 
much  obliged  if  you  will  ask  papa  whether  he  would 


88        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

lend  me  his  long  measure  ;  it  is  a  long,  soft  tape  ;  he  will 
know  what  I  mean.  I  will  take  care  of  it,  for  I  want 
to  make  a  more  exact  plan,  though  this  is  pretty  exact, 
I  think.'  That  he  was  a  most  observing  lad,  is  de- 
monstrated by  the  following : — A  range  of  buildings 
were  being  erected  opposite  the  school  at  Hove,  and 
one  evening  young  Brunei  startled  his  schoolfellows  by 
offering  to  bet  that  the  new  buildings  would  collapse 
in  the  night ;  the  bet  was  speedily  accepted,  and  the 
next  morning,  much  to  the  surprise  of  the  other  boys, 
the  buildings  were  found  to  have  been  blown  down. 
They  naturally  wondered  how  Brunei  could  have  known 
that  such  an  event  would  happen,  and  his  simple  ex- 
planation '  that  he  had  watched  them  building,  and  seen 
of  what  bad  material  and  with  what  unskilful  work- 
manship they  were  constructed,  then  judging  from 
the  state  of  the  atmosphere  that  a  violent  storm 
would  come  on  in  the  night,  he  concluded  that  the 
building  was  not  strong  enough  to  withstand  it,'  which 
opinion  was  duly  verified.  In  October  1820,  he  was 
sent  to  Paris  to  the  College  Henri  Quatre,  where  he 
remained  till  August  1822.  During  the  time  he  was 
in  Paris  he  made  careful  surveys  of  the  various  bridges 
and  the  public  buildings  of  the  city  ;  these  he  sent  home 
to  his  father,  together  with  his  critical  observations 
of  the  design  and  construction  of  the  various  edifices. 

Early  in  1823,  he  entered  his  father's  office.  At 
this  time  Mr  Brunei,  senior,  was  busily  engaged  in 
preparing  plans  and  estimates  for  the  construction  of 
the  Thames  Tunnel,  the  necessity  for  which  was  at 
that  time  agitating  the  public  mind,  and  although  the 
younger  Isambard  was,  of  course,  not  responsible  for 
that  work,  yet  he  offered  much  valuable  advice,  and 
was  for  many  years  engaged  in  the  details  of  its  con- 
struction. After  many  almost  insurmountable  obstacles 
the  tunnel  was  publicly  opened  on  25th  March  1843. 
Upon  one  occasion  the  construction  was  abandoned 
for  seven  years. 

In    1829,  it  was  proposed   to  build  a  suspension 


The  Broad  Gauge  Leaders.  89 

bridge  to  connect  Bristol  and  Clifton,  and  plans  were 
invited.  Kingdom  Brunei's  plans  were  accepted  out 
of  a  number  sent  in  ;  but  Telford,  who  was  consulting 
engineer  to  the  Bridge  Company,  thought  Brunei's 
proposed  span  too  long,  in  his  opinion  the  Menai 
Bridge,  with  a  span  of  660  feet,  being  the  ultimatum 
for  a  suspension  bridge.  Consequently,  new  plans 
were  advertised  for,  and  Brunei  set  hard  to  work  to 
convince  the  Bridge  Company  that  his  plans  were 
practicable ;  he,  however,  modified  them  somewhat, 
and  finally  they  were  accepted,  and  he  was  appointed 
engineer  to  the  venture. 

The  work  was  commenced  in  1836,  little  progress 
was  made  for  want  of  funds,  and  in  1853  the  building 
of  the  bridge  was  abandoned.  After  Brunei's  death 
the  work  was  taken  over  by  a  new  company,  and  com- 
pleted in  1864. 

In  1831,  the  future  founder  of  the  Broad  Gauge 
prepared  the  plans  and  designs  for  the  Monks  wear- 
mouth  docks,  while  the  Bristol,  Plymouth,  Brentford, 
Milford  Haven  and  Briton  Ferry  (Neath)  docks  were 
also  designed  by  him  and  constructed  under  his  super- 
vision. 

From  1841-45,  he  was  engaged  upon  the  Hunger- 
ford  Suspension  Bridge,  constructed  across  the  Thames 
for  pedestrian  traffic.  This  bridge  was  removed  in  1 86 1 , 
as  the  site  was  required  for  the  Charing  Cross  railway 
bridge,  when,  strange  irony  of  fate,  the  materials  were 
used  to  complete  the  Clifton  Bridge,  so  that,  although 
Brunei  did  not  himself  complete  the  latter  bridge,  yet 
it  was  finished  with  the  materials  provided  by  him  for 
another  work. 

Without  doubt,  his  chef  d'cetwre  was  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Great  Western  Railway,  with  its  magnifi- 
cent 7  feet  gauge,  the  particulars  of  which  are  contained 
in  this  volume.  Besides  the  Great  Western  Railway 
and  its  Broad  Gauge  allies,  Brunei  constructed  other 
railways  in  South  Wales.  And  he  looked  upon  Mil- 
ford  Haven  as  a  harbour  specially  adapted  for  his 


9O        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

monster  steamship,  the  '  Great  Eastern.'  He  was  also 
engineer  to  an  Irish  railway,  two  others  in  Italy,  and 
the  Eastern  Bengal  Railway. 

With  regard  to  steam  navigation,  Brunei  was  the 
originator  of  the  idea  for  a  line  of  steamships  between 
England  and  America,  and  he  constructed  the  '  Great 
Western' — the  first  ship  of  a  regular  service  across 
the  'herring  pond.'  This  vessel  was  launched  on  iQth 
July  1837,  and  was  at  that  time  the  largest  vessel  ever 
constructed  ;  she  was  a  paddle  ship,  and  performed  the 
journey  from  Bristol  to  New  York  in  fifteen  days. 
Shortly  after  he  constructed  a  much  larger  one  for  the 
same  line ;  this  was  christened  the  '  Great  Britain.' 
When,  in  1851,  it  was  proposed  to  have  a  line  of  steam- 
ships from  the  Mother  Country  to  Australia,  Brunei 
proposed  his  idea  of  the  colossal  steamer,  the  '  Great 
Eastern.'  The  proposal  was  well  received,  and  the 
ship  was  immediately  commenced.  This  boat  was  pro- 
pelled by  both  paddles  and  screws,  improvements  in 
the  latter  having  then  been  recently  developed. 

After  many  disappointments  and  untoward  acci- 
dents, the  leviathian  was  successfully  launched  on  5th 
January  1858.  She  started  on  her  first  voyage  on  7th 
September  1858,  but  her  designer  did  not  live  to  see 
the  success  of  the  ship,  upon  the  construction  of  which 
he  had  devoted  so  much  of  his  time,  talent  and  money. 

Among  his  minor  works  were  the  two  towers  at 
the  Crystal  Palace,  and  various  improvements  in  artil- 
lery and  gun  carriages. 

He  was  on  the  committee  of  the  first  great  Exhibi- 
tion (1851),  and  was  the  principal  witness  examined 
before  the  Select  Committee  of  the  House  of  Lords  on 
the  Patent  Laws  in  1851. 

He  married  in  July  1836,  and  his  family  consisted 
of  two  sons  and  a  daughter.  In  his  home  life  he  was 
most  generous  and  universally  liked,  but,  like  so  many 
really  clever  men,  he  was  somewhat  reserved,  which 
gave  those  not  intimately  acquainted  with  him  the  im- 
pression that  he  was  cold  and  unfeeling.  If  possible, 


The  Broad  Gauge  Leaders.  9 1 

he  never  made  enemies,  remarking  that  'spite  and  ill 
nature  were  the  most  expensive  luxuries.' 

Mr  I.  K.  Brunei  was  a  great  lover  of  real  art,  and 
his  drawings  were  much  admired  for  accuracy  of  pro- 
portion, taste  and  form,  while  his  residence  in  Duke 
Street,  Westminster,  was  noted  for  its  rare  furniture, 
bronzes  and  china. 

The  public  were  very  proud  of  him  as  a  great 
engineer ;  this  was  shown  in  a  remarkable  manner. 

O  ' 

Once  while  performing  a  conjuring  trick  to  amuse  some 
children,  he  inadvertently  swallowed  a  half-crown  piece, 
which  caused  his  life  to  be  in  danger  ;  the  newspapers 
published  daily  bulletins  of  his  condition,  which  were 
read  anxiously  by  everyone,  and  when  at  last  the  joy- 
ful news  was  made  public  that  the  coin  was  recovered, 
a  feeling  of  thankfulness  pervaded  the-whole  nation. 

But  his  end  came  sooner  than  would  have  been 
expected.  He  had  been  unwell  in  the  winter  of  1858-59, 
and  had  travelled  in  Egypt,  hoping  to  recruit  his 
strength.  The  interest  he  took  in  the  '  Great  Eastern,' 
then  nearing  completion,  would  not  allow  him  to  com- 
pletely rest,  as  he  should  have  done,  and  he  returned 
to  England  to  superintend  the  fitting  out  of  his 
monster  vessel  on  the  5th  September  1859.  Whilst 
so  engaged,  he  became  very  unwell  and  went  to  his 
home,  where  he  was  immediately  seized  by  an  attack 
of  paralysis  from  which  he  never  recovered,  dying  on 
1 5th  September.  He  was  buried  at  Kensal  Green 
Cemetery.  A  memorial  window  has  been  placed  in 
Westminster  Abbey  as  a  slight  national  tribute  to  the 
remarkable  genius  of  Isambard  Kingdom  Brunei. 

The  characteristics  of  Brunei's  French  nationality 
are  strongly  developed  in  his  works,  all  of  them  being 
either  on  a  gigantic  scale  or  on  theoretical  bases.  He 
refused  to  follow  other  engineers.  Many  of  his  in- 
novations were,  without  doubt,  great  improvements, 
as  instanced  by  the  7  feet  gauge  for  railways,  and  the 
various  improvements  in  locomotives  and  railway 
rolling  stock,  the  '  Great  Eastern '  steamship,  etc. 


92        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

But  like  many  other  clever  people,  he  lived  before  the 
public  were  prepared  for  his  great  works.  If  he  were 
starting  his  career  in  this  year  of  grace,  he  would  soon 
be  to  the  front.  He  somewhat  lost  reputation  over 
the  South  Devon  Atmospheric  Railway,  but  doubtless 
the  principle  is  correct,  but  it  has  not  been  sufficiently 
developed  for  working  on  a  large  scale,  and  now 
engineers  are  too  busily  engaged  with  electricity  to 
give  their  time  to  this  simple  method  of  propulsion. 
Brunei  looked  upon  things  from  an  engineer's  point  of 
view,  and  any  bold  idea,  if  it  could  possibly  be  carried 
out,  he  worked  at  energetically,  never  troubling  to 
inquire  if  the  venture  would  be  financially  successful ; 
but  although  he  did  not  inquire  into  the  monetary 
condition  of  undertakings  he  was  engaged  in,  yet  he 
freely  invested  his  money  in  them,  thus  showing  that 
he  believed  in  their  ultimate  success.  The  original 
Great  Western  proprietors  were  more  than  satisfied 
with  him,  and,  on  i7th  January  1845,  presented  him 
with  a  service  of  plate  costing  2000  guineas,  the 
subscriptions  to  which  were  limited  to  10  guineas.  On 
the  centre  piece  was  the  following  inscription  :— 

PRESENTED    TO 

ISAMBARD  KINGDOM  BRUNEL,  ESQ., 

THE    ENGINEER-IN-CHIEF    OF   THE   GREAT   WESTERN, 

THE    BRISTOL   AND    EXETER,    THE   CHELTENHAM 

AND    GREAT   WESTERN    UNION,    AND    THE 

BRISTOL   AND    GLOUCESTER    RAILWAYS, 

BV    257    SUBSCRIBERS, 

TO    COMMEMORATE 

THE    COMPLETION    OF   THOSE 

GREAT   NATIONAL   WORKS,    AND   TO 

RECORD    THEIR    ADMIRATION    OF    THE 

SCIENCE,    SKILL   AND    ENERGY    MANIFESTED 

IN    THE    DESIGN    AND    EXECUTION   OF   THEM,    THEIR 

GRATITUDE    FOR   THE   ADVANTAGES    CONFERRED 

ON   THEMSELVES   AND    THE    PUBLIC;   AND 

THEIR    ESTEEM    FOR   THE   INTEGRITY 

AND    WORTH    OF    HIS    PERSONAL 

CHARACTER. 

A.D.    1845. 


The  Broad  Gauge  Leaders.  93 

Mr  Brunei  rarely  gave  professional  evidence  for  or 
against  any  scheme  he  was  not  interested  in  as  an 
engineer,  and  was  a  most  careful  and  useful  witness, 
always  making  it  appear  most  clearly  that  what  he 
advocated  was  both  highly  necessary  and  easy  of 
accomplishment.  He  was,  however,  always  careful  to 
personally  prepare  the  proof  of  his  own  evidence,  and 
to  state  the  way  in  which  the  questions  should  be 
asked  him  in  examination.  Had  Brunei  lived  for 
twenty  or  even  ten  years  longer,  there  can  be  but  little 
doubt  that  the  Broad  Gauge  would  still  be  flourishing 
and  increasing  in  our  midst,  and  all  deep-thinking 
people  would  have  long  since  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  was  unmistakably  a  better  gauge  for  a  railway 
than  the  4  feet  8J  inches  one.  Under  Brunei's  able 
leadership  they  would  have  seen  the  Broad  Gauge 
System  managed  and  developed  in  a  manner  com- 
mensurate with  the  importance  of  the  principles  at 
stake  in  the  issue  between  the  rival  gauges  ;  but  it 
was  not  to  be. 


SIR  DANIEL  GOOCH. 

We  hardly  know  whether  to  bestow  the  greatest 
praise  upon  the  founder  of  the  Broad  Gauge,  or  upon 
his  pupil — Sir  Daniel  Gooch.  At  any  rate  Mr  Gooch 
lived  longer  and  worked  longer  for  the  Broad  Gauge 
than  did  Mr  Brunei,  and  is  therefore  better  known  to 
the  present  generation. 

He  was  born  at  Bedlington,  Northumberland,  on 
24th  August  1816,  at  3  A.M.,  during  a  very  violent 
thunderstorm.  His  father  was  engaged  at  the  iron- 
works at  Bedlington,  which  were  owned  by  young 
Gooch's  second  cousins.  At  four  years  of  age,  the  in- 
fant Daniel  was  sent  to  a  school  kept  by  two  maiden 
ladies.  Some  few  years  later  he  was  sent  to  a  school 
kept  by  a  clergyman  at  Condhall,  4  miles  from  Bed- 
lington. His  school  life  was  a  very  happy  one,  full 


94        -^  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

of  youthful  pranks  and  practical  jokes,  and  Gooch  was 
always  found  at  the  fore  in  these.  Except  on  Sunday 
and  during  school  hours,  Daniel  was  allowed  to  spend 
his  spare  time  as  he  pleased,  and  he  says, — '  I  often 
used  to  be  out  of  the  house  on  a  Saturday  morning 
before  any  one  was  up.  I  remember  eating  my 
breakfast  before  going  to  bed  to  save  time  in  the 
morning.'  When  Daniel  was  about  twelve  years  old, 
it  was  evident  to  his  parents  that  he  had  a  decided 
talent  for  mechanical  pursuits,  and  his  father  bought 
him  a  little  box  of  tools.  His  first  introduction  to 
locomotives  we  give  in  his  own  words : — '  Before  I 
left  Bedlington — I  do  not  know  in  what  year  it  was 
— I  went  to  Morpeth  to  see  a  steam  engine  working 
on  the  common  road.  It  was  built  by  Messrs  Haw- 
thorn, of  Newcastle,  and  drew  a  threshing  machine 
after  it.  I  believe  it  was  for  the  Duke  of  Northumber- 
land. It  was  on  its  way  from  Newcastle  to  Alnwick. 
I  found  it  at  a  stand,  owing  to  some  defect,  on  a  hill 
a  little  before  reaching  Morpeth,  but  I  waited  to 
see  it  repaired,  and  went  on  with  the  driver,  making 
the  turnings  of  the  streets  capitally.  It  made  a  strong 
impression  on  me.  I  knew  all  about  the  iron  horses 
as  they  were  then  called  on  the  waggon  way.  George 
Stephenson  was  often  at  my  father's  house,  and  used 
to  take  a  great  deal  of  notice  of  me  by  taking  me  on 
his  knee  and  talking  to  me  about  pits,  etc.  At  that 
time  he  was  much  engaged  in  advising  on  colliery 
matters,  and  had  just  commenced  his  glorious  career. 
My  eldest  brother  Tom  went  to  his  works  at  New- 
castle as  a  pupil.'  In  February  1831,  the  Gooch 
family  moved  to  Tredegar,  in  Monmouth,  and  Daniel, 
at  the  age  of  fifteen,  commenced  working  in  Hum- 
phrey's Ironworks  there.  In  June  1831  occurred 
the  Merthyr  riots,  and  the  rioters  compelled  the  men 
employed  at  the  Tredegar  Works  to  go  with  them  to 
Rhymney,  where  the  '  Riot  Act '  was  read,  and  the 
crowd  was  dispersed.  While  here  Daniel  had  two 
narrow  escapes.  '  There  were  three  large  blowing 


SIR  DANIEL  GOOCH. 
Born  24th  August  1816.     Died  I5th  October  1889. 


The  Broad  Gauge  Leaders.  97 

engines  at  Tredegar  at  that  time,  and  they  were  all 
connected  by  the  blowing  pipes,  so  that  in  case  of 
accident  to  one  engine  the  others  could  blow  the 
furnaces.  Each  engine  had  a  large  regulator  or  sort 
of  iron  balloon  to  equalise  the  blast  from  the  varying 
strength  of  the  cylinders.  To  make  their  regulators 
tight,  it  was  the  practice  to  put  powdered  lime  in 
them.  A  young  fellow,  a  little  older  than  myself,  of 
the  name  of  Jenkins,  and  I  were  inside  the  blowing 
cylinders  putting  on  a  new  valve,  when*  one  of  the 
firemen  near  lifted  the  valve  between  our  engine  and 
the  next  one,  when  the  blast  came  through  the  regu- 
lator upon  us,  bringing  with  it  the  lime  powder  ;  and 
we  could  not  get  out,  for  the  pressure  shut  the  valves 
where  we  were ;  but  as  one  was  off  in  another 
place,  the  engine-house  was  also  soon' filled  with  lime, 
and  the  engineer,  knowing  where  we  were  and  what 
had  been  done,  ran  as  hard  as  he  could  to  shut  off  the 
valve  again,  and  returned  to  find  us  nearly  dead  from 
suffocation.  A  very  little  more  and  it  would  have 
been  all  over  with  us.  Another  occasion,  I  believe  it 
was  quite  accidental,  but  the  result  of  carelessness, 
although  the  engineer  was  a  great  friend  of  mine  and 
a  good  fellow.  We  were  in  the  bottom  of  the  cylinder, 
and  had  just  finished  the  work,  one  of  the  men  had 
gone  out,  and  we  were  just  about  to  follow,  when  we 
were  much  astonished  to  see  the  engine  start.  The 
piston  at  the  time  was  about  half  stroke,  so  that  we 
could  stand  nearly  upright.  Fortunately  it  made  its 
first  stroke  upwards  or  we  would  have  been  flattened 
like  a  cake  between  it  and  the  bottom  of  the  cylinder. 
Before  it  had  time  to  make  the  up-stroke  and  return, 
we  were  able  to  crouch  down  into  the  square  valve 
box  at  the  bottom  (these  tubes  being  about  2  feet 
square  and  the  same  depth,  just  enough  to  crouch 
into)  when  down  came  the  piston  again  within  an  inch 
or  so  of  our  heads.  Fortunately  the  man  who  had 
left  us  was  in  the  engine-house,  and  shouted  to  the 
engineer,  who  stopped  the  engine  at  once  before  she 

G 


98        A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

could   make  another   up-stroke,  or   I    fear  the  valves 
would  have  given  us  a  hard  squeeze.' 

Of  the  first  wages  Gooch  earned  he  thus  speaks  :— - 
'  Those  first  few  sovereigns  gave  me  more  pleasure 
than  millions  could  do  now.  When  I  first  went  to 
work  the  important  question  of  my  wages  took  some 
time  to  settle,  and  it  was  nearly  four  months  before 
finally  an  arrangement  was  made.  I  had  sixteen 
weeks  pay  due  to  me,  and  the  amount  per  week  being 
95.,  I  was  indeed  a  proud  boy  as  I  walked  away  from 
the  pay  table  with  upwards  of  £6  in  my  hand.  I  did 
not  think  there  was  so  rich  a  person  in  the  world. 
Oh,  those  first  feelings  of  life  once  passed  never  to 
return  with  equal  force  or  earnestness ! '  On  28th 
August  1833,  Daniel  had  the  great  misfortune  to  lose 
his  father.  After  Mr  Gooch,  senior,  died,  the  family 
left  Tredegar  and  went  to  Coventry,  but  Daniel  stayed 
till  24th  January  1834,  when  he  went  to  the  Vulcan 
Engine  Foundry,  near  Warrington,  the  property  of 
Messrs  R.  Stephenson  and  Mr  Tayleur  of  Liverpool. 
This  was  the  first  time  he  had  left  home.  He  here 
got  his  first  impressions  of  railway  riding  on  the 
engines  of  the  Liverpool  and  Manchester  Railway,  by 
permission  of  the  locomotive  superintendent.  Daniel 
was  not  long  at  Warrington  before  his  health  gave 
way,  and  he  went  home  to  Coventry.  His  brother 
Thomas  was  at  this  time  engineer  on  the  Coventry 
section  of  the  London  and  Birmingham  Railway,  then 
being  constructed,  and  Daniel  spent  most  of  his  time 
on  the  line.  Early  in  1835  he  left  home  again,  going 
to  the  Dundee  Foundry  at  Dundee  as  a  draughtsman, 
arriving  there  on  iyth  February.  Mr  James  Stirling 
was  the  manager  of  these  works.  Here  Daniel's 
salary  was  £i  a  week,  on  which  he  kept  himself. 
He  left  the  Dundee  Foundry  on  3ist  December  1835, 
and  on  27th  January  1836  he  commenced  duty  at 
Robert  Stephenson's  locomotive  works  at  Newcastle- 
on-Tyne.  On  8th  October  1836,  Mr  Gooch  left 
Stephenson's  works  and  joined  Mr  R.  Hawkes  at 


The  Broad  Gaiige  Leaders.  99 

Gateshead,  their  intention  being  to  go  into  partnership 
with  a  Mr  Thompson  as  locomotive  builders.  He 
then  went  to  order  the  tools  for  his  new  firm,  and 
visited  Tredegar  and  Bristol,  where  he  called  upon  Mr 
Brunei  to  try  to  obtain  an  order  for  some  of  the  Great 
Western  engines.  Brunei  was  not  there,  however, 
but,  being  Board  meeting  day,  he  saw  the  Directors  of 
the  Great  Western  Railway.  In  July  1837,  he  heard 
that  Mr  Brunei  required  a  locomotive  engineer  for  the 
Great  Western  Railway,  and  accordingly  applied  for 
the  post,  calling  on  Mr  Brunei  on  2Oth  July. 

Mr  Brunei  visited  Manchester,  where  Mr  Gooch 
was  at  that  time  residing,  and  on  9th  August  it  was 
arranged  that  Daniel  Gooch  was  to  have  the  post  he 
so  much  coveted,  and  so  ably  filjed.  He  went  to 
London  and  commenced  his  duties  on  i8th  August 
1837.  In  the  chapters  dealing  with  the  Broad  Gauge 
engines,  we  have  an  account  of  his  future  career  for 
some  years. 

The  small  band  of  enthusiastic  pioneers  who  had 
so  valiantly  fought  for  the  noble  Broad  Gauge  from  its 
inception  had  year  by  year  grown  smaller,  until,  in 
1864,  all  had  left  the  Great  Western  Railway  save  Mr 
Gooch,  and  in  September  of  that  year  he  sent  in  his 
resignation.  But  his  men  at  Swindon  were  so 
attached  to  him  that  they  determined  to  have  him  as 
their  parliamentary  representative,  and  although  at 
the  time  he  was  at  sea  on  the  '  Great  Eastern/  he  was 
returned  by  a  considerable  majority  ;  this  was  on  1 3th 
July  1865.  On  loth  November  1866,  Mr  Daniel 
Gooch  was  created  a  baronet  by  Her  Majesty.  We 
have  just  alluded  to  the  loss  the  Great  Western  Rail- 
way had  undergone  by  the  fact  that  all  the  energetic, 
far-seeing  men  who  had  raised  the  line  to  the  first 
place  in  the  railway  world  had  by  this  time  left ;  the 
Company  having  no  capable  men  in  authority  it  soon 
fell  into  a  most  deplorable  position,  and  its  dividends 
declined,  and,  of  course,  with  them  the  market  value 
of  the  shares,  which  had  fallen  to  the  very  low  price  of 


i  oo      A  His  lory  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 


Luckily  at  this  critical  juncture  the  shareholders 
thought  of  Sir  D.  Gooch,  and  he  was  unanimously 
invited  to  become  the  Chairman  of  the  Company.  No 
vacancy  would  have  happened  on  the  Board  till  1867, 
but  Sir  Watkin  Wynn,  who  had  a  seat  by  Act  of 
Parliament,  resigned  it  to  make  room  for  Mr  Gooch, 
and  on  2d  March  1866,  for  the  first  time,  he  presided 
as  Chairman  of  Directors  at  a  general  meeting  of  the 
shareholders  of  the  Great  Western  Railway.  Within 
three  years  he  had  the  extreme  satisfaction  of  being 
able  to  declare  a  dividend  of  3f  per  cent.,  the  highest 
that  had  been  earned  for  eighteen  years.  In  April 
1872,  the  effects  of  his  wise  management  was  further 
exemplified  by  the  payment  being  at  the  rate  of  5f 
per  cent.,  and  the  value  of  the  shares  had  risen  to 
^120.  For  these  splendid  services  the  shareholders 
voted  him  an  honorarium  of  ^"5000.  He  devoted  his 
attention  to  his  beloved  Great  Western  Railway  until 
1889,  when,  in  February,  he  presided  for  the  last 
time  at  the  general  meeting  of  shareholders,  and 
declared  a  dividend  of  7^  per  cent.  On  i3th  January 
1  88  1,  Sir  D.  Gooch  was  appointed  Chairman  of  the 
Railway  Association.  On  i5th  October  1889,  Sir  D. 
Gooch  breathed  his  last.  The  event  was  not  un- 
expected, as  for  many  months  previously  his  health 
had  been  very  indifferent.  •  The  affection  of  his  friends 
did  all  that  was  possible  to  lighten  his  illness,  but  both 
he  and  they  recognised  that  the  end  was  near,  and, 
therefore,  were  not  unprepared  for  it.  He  was  buried 
in  Clewer  churchyard,  and  so  ended  the  long  and 
useful  life  of  one  of  the  greatest  men  ever  connected 
with  railways.  It  is  possible  that  we  may  have  other 
men  who  will  do  as  much  for  railways,  but  it  will  not 
be  possible  for  any  man  to  do  more  to  advance  the 
progress  and  efficiency  of  the  iron  horse.  Sir  D. 
Gooch's  splendid  achievements  will  live  in  history  long 
after  the  works  of  contemporary  engineers  are  buried 
in  oblivion.  Clarum  et  venerabile  nomen.  Sir  D. 
Gooch  married  twice,  first  on  22d  March  1838,  to  Miss 


The  Broad  Gauge  Leaders.  101 

Margaret  Tanner,  who  died  on  23d  May  1868  ;  and 
second  on  i/th  September  1870,  to  Miss  Emily 
Barder,  who  survived  his  decease. 


CHARLES  ALEXANDER  SAUNDERS. 

When,  in  1833,  the  Great  Western  Railway  was 
first  projected  and  governed  by  two  Boards  of 
Directors — one  in  London  and  the  other  at  Bristol 
—Mr  Charles  Alexander  Saunders  was  appointed 
secretary  to  the  former  one,  and,  after  the  line  had 
been  constructed,  the  two  Boards  were  amalgamated 
and  Mr  Saunders  was  appointed  secretary  and  general 
superintendent  of  the  railway,  as  a  reward  for  the  very 
marked  ability,  tact  and  general  utility  he  had  evinced 
in  the  development  of  the  scheme.  Nor  could  it  have 
been  possible  for  the  Directors  to  have  chosen  a  better 
man  in  any  way  to  fulfil  this  most  important  position, 
so  ably  discharged  by  Mr  Saunders.  The  interests 
of  the  Broad  Gauge  could  not  have  been  better  looked 
after,  more  jealously  guarded,  nor  its  system  more 
zealously  developed  than  was  the  case  under  Mr 
Saunders's  able  guidance.  It  is  true  that,  in  later 
years,  he  rather  pushed  his  ideas  to  the  front,  and  so 
caused  somewhat  strained  relations  between  himself 
and  the  Board  ;  not  that  the  Directors  were  led  to  do 
exactly  as  Mr  Saunders  advised,  for,  had  his  advice 
been  followed  on  more  subjects  than  one,  future 
events  proved  that  the  Great  Western  Railway  would 
have  amply  benefited  thereby.  So  entirely  had  he 
given  his  sole  attention  to  the  progress  of  the  Great 
Western  Railway  that,  in  the  railway  world,  it  was  a 
common  event  to  hear  the  observation  that  '  Mr 
Saunders  is  the  Great  Western  Railway/  In  1845 
the  shareholders  were  so  gratified  with  the  masterly 
way  in  which  he  had  fought  their  parliamentary  battles 
that  they  subscribed  for  and  presented  him  with  300 
reserved  fifths  shares  in  the  Great  Western  Railway, 


iO2      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

while,  some  years  later,  they  voted  him  an  honorarium 
°f  ^5000.  It  was  over  the  extensions  northward 
from  Oxford  that  Mr  Saunders  made  enemies.  We 
shall  elsewhere  detail  how  some  of  the  shareholders 
in  the  Birmingham  and  Wolverhampton  ventures  were 
bought  over  by  the  London  and  North  Western  Rail- 
way, and  the  long  legal  fight  that  resulted  from  the 
treachery  of  these  men  ;  but  Mr  Saunders  took  and 
maintained  a  determined  position  on  behalf  of  the 
Broad  Gauge^  and  it  was  doubtless  through  his  indomit- 
able pertinacity  of  purpose  and  steadfast  resolve  to 
conquer,  that  the  Broad  Gauge  gained  the  triumph, 
and  was  enabled  to  extend  its  system  north  of 
Oxford.  The  Narrow  Gauge  clique  above  referred 
to,  seeing  how  determined  Mr  Saunders  was  to  safe- 
guard the  interests  of  the  Broad  Gauge,  sent  one  of 
their  leading  men,  who  offered  to  give  Mr  Saunders 
^25,000  to  purchase  an  estate  if  he  would  retire  from 
the  Great  Western  Railway's  service.  This  person 
had  to  beat  a  hasty  and  undignified  retreat  from  the 
presence  of  the  irate  Great  Western  secretary  ;  had  he 
not  done  so,  Mr  Saunders  threatened  to  throw  him  out 
of  the  window  for  daring  to  make  such  an  offer ;  but 
the  visitor,  knowing  Mr  Saunders  determination, 
wisely  decided  that  discretion  was  the  better  part  of 
valour,  and  showed  his  heels  without  further  parley. 
From  this  time  the  London  and  North  Western  party 
became  greatly  embittered  against  Mr  Saunders,  and 
in  every  way  made  his  position  as  uncomfortable  as 
possible.  Mr  Brunei  could  not  have  had  or  desired  a 
more  zealous  partisan  than  he  found  in  Mr  Saunders, 
for  the  latter  was  always  ready  to  second  every  fresh 
development  of  the  Broad  Gauge  that  Mr  Brunei  sug- 
gested. The  death  of  Mr  Brunei  was  the  first  real 
blow  the  Broad  Gauge  received,  and  it  never  recovered 
from  the  shock  ;  while  his  death  considerably  weak- 
ened Mr  Saunders's  position,  and  caused  his  enemies 
to  redouble  their  efforts  to  dislodge  him  from  his  posi- 
tion. He  wore  out  his  life  in  the  many  hard  struggles 


The  Broad  Gauge  Leaders.  1 03 

he  made  for  the  Great  Western  Railway,  and,  early  in 
1 863,  he  wished  to  retire  in  consequence  of  failing  health. 
At  that  time  the  Great  Western  Railway  Directors  had 
a  most  important   Bill  in   Parliament  for  the  amalga- 
mating of  the  West  Midland  with  their  own  system, 
and  so  impressed  were  they  with  Mr  Saunders's  great 
knowledge  of  railway  parliamentary  business  that  they 
begged  of  him  to  stay  and  help  them  through  with 
the  measure.     Although  the  Bill  was  one  galling  to 
the  fine  susceptibilities  of  Mr  Saunders,  in  that  it  was 
a  compromise  with   Narrow  Gauge  lines,  and  pledged 
the  Great  Western    Railway  to  lay  down  the  mixed 
gauge  over  a  large  part  of  their  system,  he  loyally 
stayed   to   fight   the    battle   on    behalf  of  the    Great 
Western    Railway,   and  was   successful    in   so  doing. 
Mr    Saunders    resigned    his    position    in    September 
1863,     thereby    effectually    showing    his    disapproval 
of  the    new   policy.     At   the   half-yearly  meeting   of 
shareholders,     held    on     i8th     September     1863,    the 
Directors  proposed  to  make  him  a  retiring  allowance 
of  ^1200  a  year;   this   led  to  a  most  heated  and  acri- 
monious  discussion    among    the   shareholders,    which 
lasted  for  five  hours.     His  enemies  mustered  in  full 
force,  and  some  went  so  far  as  to  say  that,  instead  of 
paying  him  a  pension  of  ^1200  a  year,  he  ought  to 
be  made  to  pay  the  shareholders  a  large  sum  yearly 
for  the  loss  he  had  caused  them.     The  Directors'  pro- 
position   was,    however,    carried.      Unfortunately,   Mr 
Saunders  lived  but  a  short  time  after  his  retirement,  for 
on  i  Qth  September  1864,  he  passed  away,  when  sixty- 
seven    years    old.        In    retirement    he    missed    the 
bustle  of  his  previous  busy  life,  as  is  often  the  case 
with    an    energetic    person,    who,    so    long  as  he   re- 
mains  in  harness,    defies   ill    health,    but   as  soon   as 
the  ceaseless  exertion  is  relaxed,  disease    enters    the 
system    already  enfeebled   by  overwork,    and    carries 
off  another  victim   to  join   the  great  majority.      Not 
only    does     the     Great     Western     Railway     owe     a 
great    deal    to    the   life    work    of    Mr    Saunders,    but 


IO4      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

every  other  railway  as  well;  for  when,  in  1844, 
Mr  Gladstone  introduced  the  'Railway  Confiscation 
Bill,'  that  gentleman,  now  known  as  the  '  Grand 
Old  Man,'  but  then  as  a  'very  Jesuit  with  rail- 
ways,' said, — '  If  this  Bill  is  thrown  out,  I  shall 
regard  Mr  Saunders  as  the  man  who  has  done  it.' 
Had  this  measure  passed,  the  position  of  railway 
shareholders  to-day  would  have  been  worse  than 
that  of  Irish  landlords ;  but,  thanks  to  Mr  Saunders, 
it  did  not  pass.  A  Great  Western  shareholder  thus 
summed  up  the  character  of  Mr  C.  A.  Saunders  :— 
'  That  gentleman  had  given  them  not  only  the 
best  years  of  his  life,  but  the  energies  also  of  his 
active  and  capacious  mind,  and  his  practical  knowledge 
of  railway  matters,  in  which  he  was  unsurpassed.  He 
had  given  them  not  only  the  labour  they  had  a  right 
to  expect  from  a  secretary,  but  his  days  and  nights 
also.  He  had  no  object  nearer  his  heart  than  the  pro- 
sperity and  success  of  their  great  undertaking.  More 
hearty  or  emphatic  eulogy  was  never  bestowed,  and 
the  modesty  with  which  it  was  received  confirmed  its 
justice.' 


CHAPTER    VII. 

BATTLE  OF  THE  GAUGES SOCIAL  AND  COMMERCIAL. 

THE  Great  Western  Railway  is  usually  credited  with 
being  responsible  for  the  evils  attending  a  break  of 
gauge,  against  which  the  trading  community,  strongly 
supported  by  the  Narrow  Gauge  railways,  were  always 
murmuring,  yet,  in  reality,  the  Narrow  Gauge  was  en- 
tirely responsible  for  the  delays  that  occurred.  It  was  at 
Gloucester  that  difficulties  first  arose  as  to  transferring- 

o 

goods  from  one  gauge  to  another.  A  Narrow  Gauge 
line — the  Birmingham  and  Gloucester — was  opened 
between  those  towns  on  24th  January  1840,  while 
the  Bristol  and  Gloucester,  a  Broad  Gauge  line,  was 
opened  for  passenger  traffic  on  6th  July  1844.  This 
latter  line  was  37|-  miles  long,  and  Mr  Brunei  was 
the  engineer.  The  line,  although  an  independent  one, 
was  considered  by  the  Great  Western  Railway  as  a 
dependent  of  theirs,  the  Great  Western  having  sub- 
scribed ,£50,000  of  its  capital,  while  the  Bristol  and 
Gloucester  line  proper  ended  at  Stonehouse,  the  9  miles 
from  thence  to  Gloucester  being  leased  from  the  Great 
Western  Railway,  the  Bristol  and  Gloucester  trains 
also  used  the  Temple  Meads  Station  of  the  Great 
Western  at  Bristol.  In  passing,  we  mention  that  on 
this  line  London  time  was  observed  at  all  the  stations 
from  the  first,  although  other  railways  were  then  and 
for  some  years  after  running  their  trains  according 
to  local  time.  The  first  time  table  of  this  line  states 
that  London  time  is  eleven  minutes  before  Bristol 
time.  Goods  traffic  was  commenced  on  Monday,  26. 
September  1840,  and  in  less  than  three  months  after 


io6      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

a  series  of  strong  leading  articles  appeared  in  the 
Railway  Chronicle  on  the  '  Grevious  mismanagement 
in  the  goods  traffic  from  Bristol  through  Gloucester 
and  Birmingham.'  These  articles  show  clearly  that 
the  Birmingham  and  Gloucester  Company  was  entirely 
to  blame,  for  we  read,  '  the  evil  lies  chiefly  at  the 
Birmingham  end  of  the  line,  where,  according  to  all 
accounts,  the  goods  traffic  is  in  a  lamentable  state.' 
The  management  of  the  Birmingham  and  Gloucester 
Company  is  just  now  in  a  state  of  anarchy,  and  the 
article  goes  on  to  say, — '  Now,  what  are  the  interrup- 
tions in  the  passage  of  the  traffic  by  railway  ?  They 
arise  from  the  existence  of  two  gauges  (the  Birming- 
ham and  Gloucester  being  the  Narrow  Gauge,  and  the 
Bristol  and  Gloucester  being  the  wide  gauge)  and  two 
managements.  The  difference  of  gauge  is  now  to  be 
regarded  as  a  physical  difficulty  to  be  overcome  as  it 
can  best  be  done  (just  as  if  it  were  a  steep  incline) ; 
and  the  greatest  care  should  be  taken  that  the  frequent 
recurrence  to  it  as  a  pretext  for  delay  do  not  render 
it  as  a  bugbear  in  the  eyes  of  the  public  ;  if  it  does  so 
a  great  injury  will  be.  inflicted  on  both  railways.  With 
two  managements  such  a  result  will  be  sure  to  ensue. 
We  all  know  that  somehow  or  other,  with  the  most 
virtuous  intentions,  the  management  on  two  contigu- 
ous lines  of  railway  never  acts  as  one — there  is  always 
a  little  cross  pulling,  a  little  difficulty  as  to  dividing 
receipts  and  expenses,  a  little  jealousy  of  each  other. 
A  very  slight  knowledge  of  human  nature  will  tell  us 
why  this  is  and  must  be,  and  that  it  is  so  there  is  no 
doubt.  This  is  the  case  with  the  wisest  and  best  of 
managements,  much  more  so  with  the  worst ;  and  we 
fear  that  the  Birmingham  and  Gloucester  (the  Narrow 
Gauge  line)  is  to  be  placed  in  the  latter  category.' 
This  article  ends  by  suggesting  the  amalgamation  of 
the  Great  Western,  Bristol  and  Gloucester,  and  Bir- 
mingham and  Gloucester. 

But  a  very  different  arrangement  was  made,  for,  in 
May    1844,  the    North    Midland,    Midland    Counties, 


Social  and  Commercial.  107 

and  the  Birmingham  and  Rugby  Junction  Railways 
amalgamated  under  the  title  of  the  Midlands — now 
the  Midland  Railway,  and  as  is  usual  the  amalga- 
mation spirit  increased,  and  the  Midlands  looked 
with  longing  eyes  towards  the  Birmingham  and 
Gloucester  line.  In  those  days  the  practice  was,  when 
one  railway  wanted  to  influence  the  policy  of  another, 
to  purchase  shares  as  private  individuals,  and  then, 
under  the  guise  of  being  shareholders,  to  endeavour 
to  get  the  policy  of  the  purchasing  company  carried 
out  by  the  Board  of  the  line  in  which  the  shares  had 
been  purchased.  We  readily  understand,  then,  that 
when  the  Midland  had  in  this  way  obtained  an  in- 
fluence in  the  Birmingham  and  Gloucester  Company, 
their  Narrow  Gauge  connections,  together  with  the 
Narrow  Gauge  prejudices  of  George  Hudson  and 
Robert  Stephenson,  and  also  having  in  view  the  amal- 
gamation of  the  two  lines  from  Birmingham  to  Bristol 
with  their  own  company,  that  this  new  influence  was 
not  used  to  make  the  working  of  the  change  of  gauge 
at  Gloucester  any  smoother.  So  that  from  this  time 
the  complaints  as  to  the  evils  of  the  break  of  gauge 
were  more  numerous,  and  were  for  the  reasons  we 
have  already  mentioned  being  continually  forced  into 
public  notice.  The  Great  Western  Railway  is  in  a 
measure  to  blame  in  not  obtaining  the  Bristol  and 
Gloucester  line  themselves,  but  they  appear  to  have 
been  under  the  impression  that  it  was  virtually  their 
line,  and,  therefore,  perhaps,  did  not  pay  sufficient 
attention  as  to  how  matters  were  developing  with  re- 
gard to  it ;  so  that  while  the  Broad  Gauge  champions 
were  busy  in  other  districts,  the  Midland  Railway  had 
quickly  and  quietly  obtained  the  Birmingham  and 
Gloucester  Railway,  and  the  Bristol  and  Gloucester 
line,  by  giving  6  per  cent,  guaranteed  shares  of  their 
own  in  exchange  for  the  ordinary  shares  of  the 
Bristol  line,  which  was  an  extremely  good  bargain 
for  the  shareholders  of  the  latter  company.  Matters 
now  stood  like  this— a  determined  Narrow  Gauge 


io8      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

railway  was  owner  of  a  through  route  from  Bristol 
to  Birmingham,  on  which  occurred  a  break  of  gauge. 
The  owning  company,  anxious  to  have  the  whole 
line  Narrow  Gauge,  and  so  to  gain  this  end  it  natur- 
ally made  as  much  fuss  as  possible  about  the  break 
of  gauge,  while  the  trouble  might  have  been  reduced 
to  an  insignificant  minimum  had  it  been  to  the  Mid- 
land Company's  interest  so  to  do.  No  one  could 
fail  to  acknowledge  that  to  the  goods  traffic  a  break 
of  gauge  was  an  evil,  causing  loss  of  time  and  possible 
damage  to  the  goods  in  transhipping  from  one  truck 
to  another,  besides  being  an  additional  expense.  It 
was  therefore  proposed  to  have  trucks  with  move- 
able  bodies  so  that  these  bodies  could  be  removed 
by  a  crane  from  Broad  to  Narrow  Gauge  frames,  and 
vice  versa  ;  but  various  objections  were  raised  to  this 
system.  The  real  reason,  however,  why  this  practical 
remedy  was  not  carried  out  being  that  none  of  the 
companies  interested  would  go  to  the  expense  of  con- 
structing the  rolling  stock  necessary  for  this  purpose. 
This  question  of  expenditure  is  also  answerable  for 
another,  but  less  practical  method,  not  being  in- 
augurated, viz.,  the  introduction  of  vehicles  with 
telescopic  axles — a  misleading  description,  as  the  axles 
were  not  to  be  telescopic  at  all,  they  really  being 
axles  long  enough  for  the  Broad  Gauge,  but  on 
which  the  wheels  were  not  immovably  fixed,  but 
could  be  slid  along  the  axles  and  fixed  at  widths 
suitable  for  the  Broad  or  Narrow  Gauge.  Then  a 
species  of  crocodile  Broad  Gauge  trucks  was  sug- 
gested. These  were  to  have  low  bodies,  on  the  surface 
of  which  were  rails  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  so  that 
Narrow  Gauge  trucks  could  be  run  on  to  them,  and 
so  complete  their  journey  to  Broad  Gauge  stations. 
Had  this  method  been  employed  only  the  Great 
Western  Railway  would  have  had  to  provide  the 
suitable  vehicles,  and  we  consider  it  was  the  most 
feasible  of  all  the  propositions,  being  exactly  similar 
to  the  present  method  of  conveying  pantechnicon 


Social  and  Commercial.  109 

and  other  road  vans  on  railway  trucks.  The  Gauge 
Commissioners,  in  the  wisdom  of  their  report,  rejected 
this  proposal  '  as  entirely  inapplicable  to  the  traffic 
of  railways.'  Another  proposal  was  to  pack  through 
goods  in  immense  cases,  and  tranship  these  from  Broad 
Gauge  to  Narrow  Gauge  trucks,  and  vice  versa.  The 
Gauge  Commissioners  reported  this  method  as  '  totally 
inapplicable,'  yet  the  registered  baggage  between 
London  and  Paris  via  Boulogne  is  daily  conveyed  in 
this  way,  and  undergoes  two  transhipments  in  each 
journey,  while  but  one  would  have  been  necessary 
with  the  break  of  gauge. 

Although  fifty  years  ago  all  the  Narrow  Gauge 
railways  said  it  was  impossible  to  convey  Broad  Gauge 
vehicles  over  their  lines,  yet,  '  truth^  being  stranger 
than  (Narrow  Gauge)  fiction,'  the  'impossible'  is  done 
every  day  in  Germany  at  the  present  time.  The 
Standard  Gauge  waggons,  measuring  24  feet  4  inches 
long  by  9  feet  in  width,  are  conveyed  on  the  .75  metre 
gauge  (2  feet  5^  inches)  of  the  Wurtemberg  Railway, 
a  Narrow  Gauge  truck  being  fixed  under  each  axle  of 
the  larger  waggon,  which  thus  becomes  a  bogie  vehicle 
on  the  .75  metre  line,  and  travels  at  high  speed,  and 
round  curves  of  short  radii  without  accident ;  the  whole 
alteration  from  one  gauge  to  another  not  occupying 
5  minutes  per  waggon. 

With  regard  to  the  actual  conveyance  of  goods  both 
the  Broad  and  Narrow  Gauge  systems  were  about  equal, 
as  we  do  not  know  of  the  partisans  of  either  claiming 
any  special  advantage  in  this  respect  for  one  system  or 
the  other,  save  that  a  glass  merchant  at  Worcester 
found  that  the  Narrow  Gauge  broke  i^  per  cent,  more 
in  transit  than  the  Broad  Gauge,  while  the  Broad 
Gauge  had  the  undoubted  advantage  of  greater  speed 
and  a  greater  carrying  capacity  per  truck. 

The  disadvantages  of  a  break  of  gauge  with  regard 
to  the  passenger  traffic  were,  of  course,  no  worse  than 
the  ordinary  changing  at  junctions  to  and  from  branch 
trains,  about  which  no  one  complained ;  in  fact,  on  a 


no      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

long  journey,  travellers  are  glad  to  change  for  the  sake 
of  variety,  yet  a  great  outcry  was  raised  about  the  in- 
convenience of  changing  ;  and  since  the  Broad  Gauge 
brought  passengers  through  to  Gloucester,  the  draw- 
back of  the  Cheltenham  passengers  was  the  one 
usually  commented  upon.  The  Great  Western  line  to 
Gloucester  was  opened  for  passenger  traffic  on  i2th 
May  1845.  It  was  necessary  for  London  passengers 
for  Cheltenham  to  change  from  the  Great  Western  to 
the  Birmingham  and  Gloucester  train  at  Gloucester,  so 
the  Narrow  Gauge  company,  to  aggravate  the  presumed 
inconvenience,  arranged  their  time  table  accordingly. 
The  Narrow  Gauge  trains  from  Cheltenham  arrived  at 
Gloucester  just  after  the  Great  WTestern  trains  had  left 
for  London,  and  the  Narrow  Gauge  trains  to  Chelten- 
ham left  Gloucester  shortly  before  the  Broad  Gauge 
trains  from  London  were  due.  While  travellers  arriv- 
ing by  the  last  Great  Western  train  at  Gloucester  had 
either  to  proceed  to  Cheltenham  by  'bus,  if  there  were 
room,  or  stay  the  night  at  Gloucester.  The  table 
shows  how  the  Narrow  Gauge  unnecessarily  incon- 
venienced travellers. 

Cheltenham,  depart  8.25.  A.M.   10.18  A.M.   1.25  P.M.  \  N  r 

Gloucester,  arrive  9-5       »      iQ-55     »^  2.5      „     J   x 

depart  10.50  A.M.  4.0      .,      )    ^       ,       ' 

arrive  from  London  9.25  P.M. 

,,        depart  for  Cheltenham,         8.50     ,,     (last  train)  Narrow  Gauge. 

The  reasons  urged  against  the  break  of  gauge  in  re- 
gard to  the  passenger  traffic  are  certainly  amusing. 
Thus  one  person  complained  that  owing  to  the  break 
of  gauge  he  exchanged  '  the  companionship  of  a 
pretty  young  lady  for  that  of  an  ugly  old  one  with  her 
parrot  and  pet  cat.'  A  clergyman  at  Banbury  said, 
'  He  did  not  want  the  little  hair  he  had  on  his  head 
rubbed  off  by  riding  in  the  London  and  Birmingham 
Company's  low  carriages.  He  would  vastly  prefer 
travelling  the  whole  distance  in  one  of  the  splendid 
carriages  of  the  Great  Western  Company  than  being 


Social  and  Commercial.  1 1 1 

transferred  to  one  of  the  little  pig  boxes  on  the  London 
and  Birmingham  line.'  .  '  Jeames,'  in  Punch,  very 
cleverly  takes  off  the  alleged  inconveniences  in  his 
account  of  a  journey  to  Cheltenham.  '  I  never 
thought  that  I  should  have  been  injuiced  to  write 
anything  but  a  bill  again,  much  less  to  edress  you  on 
railway  subjix,  which  with  all  my  sole  I  abaw.  But  as 
a  man  an'  'usband,  and  a  father  and  a  freebon  Brittn, 
my  jewty  compels  me  to  come  forwoods,  and  igspress 
my  opinion  upon  that  nashnal  newsance — the  break  of 
gage.  An  interesting  event  in  a  noble  family,  with 
which  I  once  very  nearly  had  the  honour  of  being 
kinected,  acurd  a  few  weex  sins,  when  the  Lady 
Angelina  S—  — ,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  B ,  pre- 
sented the  gallant  capting,  her  husband,  with  a  son 
and  hair.  Nothink  would  satisfy  her  ladyship  but 
that  her  old  and  a.ta.c\\t  fam-dy-s/tam&er,  my  wife  Mary 
Hann  Plush,  should  be  present  upon  this  hospicious 

occasion.      Capting   S was   not  jellus   of  me  on 

account  of  my  former  attachment  to  his  lady.  I 
cunsented  that  my  wife  Hann  should  attend  her,  and 
me  and  my  wife,  and  our  dear  babby  acawdingly  set 
out  for  our  noable  friend's  residence,  Honeymoon 
Lodge,  near  Cheltenham.  Sick  of  all  railways  myself, 
I  wisht  to  poast  it  in  a  chay  and  four,  but  Mary 
Hann,  with  the  hobstenacy  of  her  sex,  was  bent  upon 
railroad  travelling,  and  I  yealded  like  all  husbinds. 
We  set  out  by  the  Great  Western  in  an  eavle  hour. 
We  didn't  take  much  luggitch — my  wife's  things  in 
the  ushal  band-boxes,  mine  in  a  potmancho.  We  had, 
ingluding  James  Hangelo's  (the  baby  before  mentioned) 
rattle  and  my  umbrellow,  seventy-three  packidges  in 
all.  We  got  on  very  well  as  far  as  Swindon,  where,  in 
the  splendid  refreshment  room,  there  was  a  galaxy  of 
lovely  gals  in  cottn  velvet  spencers,  who  serves  out 
the  soop,  and  one  of  whom  maid  an  impresshn  upon 
this  'art  which  I  shoodn't  like  Mary  Hann  to  know— 
and  here  to  our  infanit  disgust  we  changed  carridges. 
I  forgot  to  say  that  we  were  in  the  secknd  class, 


ii2      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

having  with  us  James  Hangelo  and  twenty-three 
other  light  harticles.  First  inconvenience,  and  almost 
as  bad  as  break  of  gage.  I  cast  my  hi  upon 
the  gal  in  cottn  velvet,  and  wanted  some  soop  of 
course ;  but  seasing  up  James  Hangelo  (who  was 
layin'  his  dear  little  pors  on  an  'am  sangwidg)  and 
seeing  my  igspresshn  of  hi,  "  James,"  says  Mary  Hann, 
"  instead  of  looking  at  that  young  lady — and  not  so 
very  young  neither — be  pleased  to  look  to  our 
packidges  and  place  them  in  the  other  carridg."  I 
did  so  with  a  'evy  'art,  I  eranged  them  twenty-three 
articles  in  the  opsit  carridg,  only  missing  my 
umbrellow  and  baby's  rattle  ;  and  just  as  I  came 
back  for  my  baysn  of  soop,  the  beast  of  a  bell  rings, 
the  whizzling  injians  proclayms  the  time  of  our 
departure — and  farewell  soop  and  cottn  velvet. 
Mary  Hann  was  sulky.  She  said  it  was  my  losing 
the  umbrellow.  If  it  had  been  a  cottn  velvet 
umbrella  I  could  have  understood.  James  Hangelo, 
sittin'  on  my  knee,  was  evidently  unwell  without  his 
coral,  and  for  20  miles  that  blessid  babby  kep'  up  a 
rawring,  which  caused  all  the  passingers  to  simpithize 
with  him  igseedingly.  We  arrive  at  Gloster,  and  there, 
fancy  my  disgust  at  being  ableeged  to  undergo  another 
change  of  carridges.  Fansy  me  holding  up  moughs, 
tippits,  cloaks  and  baskits,  and  James  Hangelo  rawr- 
ing still  like  mad,  and  pretending  to  shuperintend  the 
carrying  over  of  our  luggitch  from  the  Broad  Gage  to 
Narrow  Gage.  "  Mary  Hann,"  says  I,  rot  to  despera- 
shn,  "  I  shall  throttle  this  darling  if  he  goes  on."  "  Do," 
says  she,  "  and  go  into  the  refreshment  room,"  says 
she,  a-snatchin'  the  babby  out  of  my  arms.  "  Do  go," 
says  she,  "you're  not  fit  to  look  after  luggitch,"  and  she 
began  lulling  James  Hangelo  to  sleep  with  one  hi, 
while  she  looked  after  the  packits  with  the  other. 
"  Now,  sir,  if  you  please,  mind  that  packit — pretty 
darling — easy  with  that  box,  sir,  it's  glass — po-o-o-o-ty 
poppet — where's  the  deal  case,  marked  arrowroot,  No. 
24  ? "  she  cried,  reading  out  a  list  she  had — and  poor 


Social  and  Commercial.  1 1 3 

little  James  went  to  sleep.  The  porters  were  bundling 
and  carting  the  various  harticles  with  no  more 
ceremony  than  if  each  packidg  had  been  of  cannon 
ball.  At  last — bang  goes  a  packidg  marked  "glass," 
and  containing  the  chayny  bowel  and  Lady  Bareacres' 
mixture,  into  a  large  white  band-box,  with  a  crash  and 
a  smash.  "  It's  my  lady's  box  from  Crinolines!"  cries 
Mary  Hann,  and  she  puts  down  the  child  on  the 
bench,  and  rushes  forward  to  inspect  the  damage.  As 
James  was  asleep,  and  I  was  by  this  time  uncommon 
hungry,  I  thought  I  would  go  into  the  refreshment 
room  and  just  take  a  little  soop  ;  so  I  wrapped  him  up 
in  his  cloak  and  laid  him  by  his  mamma  and  went  off. 
There's  not  near  such  good  attendance  as  at  Swindon. 
We  took  our  places  in  the  carridg  in  the  dark,  both  of 
us  covered  with  a  pile  of  packidges,  and  Mary  Hann 
so  sulky  that  she  would  not  speak  for  some  minutes. 
At  last  she  spoke  out,  "  Have  you  all  the  small 
parcels?'  "Twenty-three  in  all,"  says  I.  "Then 
give  me  the  babby."  "  What,  haven't  y-y-yo-o-o-o-o 
got  him  ? "  says  I  ...  O  Mussy !  you  should  have 
heard  her  sreak.  Wed  left  him  on  the  ledge  at 
Gloster.  It  all  came  of  the  break  of  gage.' 

To  show  how  severely  the  gauge  controversy 
raged,  we  mention  that  at  Gloucester  the  Great 
Western  had  the  following  placard  posted  up  at  their 
station  and  about  the  city. 

'  Observe  - —  Petition  ! ! !  Petition  ! ! !  50  miles  an 
hour  versus  25.  Coaches  before  waggons.  No  change 
of  carriage.  The  blessings  of  the  Broad  Gauge  for 
the  northern  districts.  Safety  and  speed  before  cramp 
and  delay.  Advancement  before  retreat.  The  peti- 
tion will  be  ready  in  a  day  or  two.  Brunei  for 
ever!!  Hurrah! 

'To  the  Right  Honourable,  the  Commons  in  Par- 
liament assembled, — 

'The  humble  petition  of  the  undersigned  passengers, 
travelling  between  Birmingham  and  Bristol  by  rail- 
way on  the day  of ; 

H 


1 14      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

'  Sheweth, — That  your  petitioners  travelled  between 
Birmingham  and  Bristol  by  railway,  and  that  when 
they  arrived  at  Gloucester  they  were  .compelled,  owing 
to  the  change  in  the  width  of  the  rails  (which  your  petU 
tioners  believe  is  called  "break  of  guage  ")  to  remove 
from  one  carriage  to  another. 

'  That  your  petitioners  were  I  hour  and  45  minutes  in 
performing  the  journey  between  Bristol  and  Gloucester, 
a  distance  of  37  miles,  on  what  your  petitioners  believe  is 
called  the  "Broad  Gauge ; "  and  that  they  were  occupied 
2  hours  and  35  minutes  in  the  remaining  part  of  the 
journey,  between  Gloucester  and  Birmingham-,  in  what 
your  petitioners  believe  is  termed  the  "  Narrow  Gauge," 
a  distance  of  33  miles.  That  your  petitioners  thereby 
consider  that  they  were  detained  -  -  hours  - 
minutes,  beyond  what  they  consider  a  reasonable  time 
for  the  performance  thereof.  That  your  petitioners 
were  provided  with  a  large  and  commodious  carriage 
for  their  accommodation  on  what  they  believe  is 
termed  the  Broad  Gauge ;  and  that  your  peti- 
tioners were  cribbed,  crowded,  cramped  and  con- 
fined and  nearly  stifled  in  the  small  and  inconvenient 
one  provided  by  that  portion  which  your  petitioners 
believe  is  called  the  Narrow  Gauge  portion  of  their 
journey.  That  your  petitioners  observe  with  regret 
that  the  decision  of  certain  narrow-minded  and  anti- 
quated persons  has  been  mistaken  for  the  experience 
of  men  of  wide  experience,  intelligent  and  enlightened. 
And  therefore  your  petitioners  implore  your  honourable 
House  not  to  be  biassed  thereby,  but  to  adapt  to  loco- 
motion the  same  expansive  and  comprehensive  princi- 
ples that  your  honourable  House  has  latterly  applied  to 
legislation. 

'  That  your  petitioners  entreat  your  honourable 
House  not  to  impede  the  advancement  of  science 
and  improvement  of  locomotion,  nor  to  confine  it  to 
the  narrow  limits  of  4  feet  8|-  inch  gauge,  and  a  speed 
of  25  miles  an  hour.  That  your  petitioners  would 
not  be  inconvenienced  if  an  uniform  gauge  did  not 


Social  and  Commercial.  1 1 5 

exist  in  the  northern  and  southern  districts  of  the 
country. 

'  That  your  petitioners  therefore  entreat  your  hon- 
ourable House  not  to  debar  the  northern  and  southern 
districts  from  the  advantage  of  the  superior  accommoda- 
tion of  the  Broad  Gauge,  but  to  remedy  the  existing 
evils,  by  extending  it  throughout  to  all  the  districts 
alike. — Your  petitioners/  etc. 

The  books  and  pamphlets  written  on  the  subject 
would  form  quite  a  modest  library  if  collected.  Per- 
sonally, we  are  acquainted  with  the  titles  of  at  least 
twenty-one  of  the  interesting  works  on  this  momentous 
question. 

The  Midland  did  not  alter  the  gauge  of  the  Bristol 
and  Gloucester  Railway  when  it  first  obtained  control 
of  it,  for  at  the  time  Slaughter  &  Company  held  a 
contract  for  ten  years  from  the  opening  of  the  line 
to  provide  the  rolling  stock  and  work  the  railway. 
The  engines  provided  had  driving  wheels  6  feet  6 
inches  diameter,  the  carriage  wheels  3  feet  6  inches 
diameter,  while  the  goods  trucks  were  only  four  wheel 
ones  instead  of  six  wheel,  as  usually  provided  for  the 
Broad  Gauge. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE    PARLIAMENTARY    BATTLE. 

IN  the  Session  of  1844  the  London  and  South 
Western  Railway  obtained  powers  for  the  construc- 
tion of  a  railway  to  Salisbury.  The  Great  Western 
Railway  considered  this  to  be  an  invasion  of  their 
territory.  In  the  same  Session  a  so-called  independ- 
ent company,  but  in  reality  the  London  and  South 
Western,  also  applied  for  powers  to  construct  a  railway 
from  Basingstoke  to  Newbury  ;  the  Great  Western 
Railway  offered  strenuous  opposition  to  this  line,  and 
although  the  Commons  pronounced  in  favour  of  it  by 
1 66  votes  to  73,  the  Lords'  Committee  threw  the  Bill 
out.  So  that,  as  the  Great  Western  Bill  was  thrown 
out  by  the  Commons,  and  the  South  Western  by  the 
Lords,  no  railway  was  sanctioned  to  Newbury  in  1844. 
To  the  north  of  their  line  the  Great  Western  Railway 
had  no  Parliamentary  battle  to  fight  in  1844,  but  in 
that  year  new  lines  were  projected  from  Oxford  to 
Rugby,  and  another  from  Oxford  to  Worcester  and 
Wolverhampton,  both  these  the  London  and  Birming- 
ham opposed,  and  projected  rival  schemes.  The 
London  and  South  Western,  or  the  so-called  local 
companies,  promoted  lines  from  Salisbury  to  Yeovil, 
this  being  a  continuation  of  the  Basingstoke  to  Salis- 
bury branch  in  course  of  construction,  and  a  line  from 
Salisbury  to  Dorchester  and  Weymouth,  also  a  rail- 
way from  Basingstoke  to  Didcot,  and  another  through 
Newbury  to  Swindon.  The  Great  Western  lines  in 
opposition  to  these  latter  were  from  Reading  to 
Basingstoke,  and  to  Hungerford  via  Newbury,  while 

116 


The  Parliamentary  Battle. 


117 


another  line  was  projected  from  Chippenham  to 
Yeovil,  Dorchester  and  Weymouth,  with  a  branch  to 
Salisbury.  To  show  the  magnitude  of  the  Parlia- 
mentary struggle  which  was  expected  to  take  place 
in  the  Session  of  1845,  we  give  the  following  list 
of  Bills  to  be  fought  over  by  the  Great  Western 
Railway. 


Narrow  Gauge  Lines  opposed  by 
Great  Western  Railway. 


Broad  Gauge  Lines  supported  by 
Great  Western  Railway. 


Cornwall  and  Devon  Central. 

Gloucester  and  Hereford. 

Staines  and  Windsor. 

Southampton  and  Dorchester. 

Basingstoke  and  Didcot. 

Basingstoke  to  Swindon. 

London  and  Birmingham  Rail- 
way. 

Worcester,  Dudley  and  Wol- 
verhampton. 

Salisbury  and  Weymouth. 

Salisbury  and  Yeovil. 


Cornwall  Railway. 

Crediton  and  Barnstaple. 

Exeter  and  Crediton. 

Forest  of  Dean,  Gloucester  and 

Hereford. 

South  Devon  and  Tavistock. 
Oxford,  Worcester   and  Wolver- 

hampton. 

Oxford  and  Rugby. 
Berks  and  Hants  Railway. 
South  Wales  Railway. 
Torquay  and  Newton  Abbot. 
Monmouth  and  Hereford. 
Wilts,  Somerset  and  Weymouth. 
Uxbridge  and  Staines. 


But  at  the  commencement  of  1845  the  Great 
Western  and  London  and  South  Western  Rail- 
ways entered  into  an  arrangement  by  which  it 
was  agreed,  that  upon  consideration  of  the  Great 
Western  Railway  giving  up  to  the  South  Western 
the  lease  of  the  Southampton  and  Dorchester  Rail- 
way, which  line  the  Great  Western  had  before  agreed 
to  work,  the  London  and  South  Western  withdrew 
the  Bills  they  had  promoted,  so  by  this  clever  arrange- 
ment the  Narrow  Gauge  Basingstoke,  Didcot  and 
Swindon  Junction  Railway,  the  Salisbury  and  Yeovil 
Railway,  the  Hook  Pit  Deviation  to  Salisbury,  and 
the  Dorchester ;  and  the  Salisbury  and  Weymouth 


1 1 8      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Railway  were  not  proceeded  with,  and  the  London  and 
South  Western  also  agreed  to  withdraw  the  support 
they  were  giving  to  the  Cornwall  and  Devon  Central 
Railway.  The  fight  in  Parliament  between  rival 
Broad  and  Narrow  schemes  was  by  this  arrangement 
confined  to  the  lines  to  the  north  of  the  Great 
Western  main  line,  and  to  the  competing  Cornwall 
Railways. 

On  the  3d  of  March  the  Oxford  and  Rugby  Bill 
first  came  before  the  Committee  of  the  House  of 
Commons ;  the  next  day  the  Committee  reported  that 
the  standing  orders  had  been  complied  with,  and  the 
Bill  was  read  a  first  time  on  5th  March,  and  on  the 
loth  it  was  read  a  second  time,  while  the  Oxford, 
Worcester  and  Wolverhampton  Bill  was  read  a  first 
time  on  igth  March,  and  a  second  time  on  8th  April. 
The  Select  Committee  '  F/  consisting  of  five  mem- 
bers, before  whom  the  Bills  in  the  Oxford  and 
Birmingham  district  were  fought,  commenced  sitting 
on  5th  May.  The  real  fight  was  between  the 
Worcester,  Dudley  and  Wolverhampton  Railway, 
promoted  as  a  Narrow  Gauge  line  by  the  London 
and  Birmingham,  and  the  Oxford,  Worcester  and 
Wolverhampton,  and  the  Oxford  and  Rugby,  which 
were  Broad  Gauge  lines.  The  Board  of  Trade  had 
already  reported  against  the  Broad  Gauge,  as  Mr 
Austin,  who  conducted  the  case  for  the  London  and 
Birmingham  Company,  did  not  forget  to  continually 
remind  the  Committee  '  that  this  question  of  gauge 
was  the  great  one  the  Committee  had  to  settle.'  He 
admitted  that  on  great  lines  the  Broad  Gauge  was 
most  advisable,  but  not  on  this  one,  it  being  in  the 
nature  of  a  branch,  and  he  argued  that  the  break  of 
gauge  ought  to  be  located  at  Oxford  and  Bristol,  as 
was  then  the  case,  and  not  at  Birmingham  and  Rugby, 
as  the  Broad  Gauge  wished  it  to  be.  Mr  M'Connell, 
the  locomotive  engineer  then  of  the  Bristol  and 
Gloucester  Railway,  but  afterwards  of  the  London  and 
North  Western  Railway,  was  a  witness  for  the 


The  Parliamentary  Battle.  119 

Narrow  Gauge,  and  he  stated  that  the  Broad  Gauge 
had  advantages  in  respect  of  speed  and  power,  and 
must  always  continue  to  have,  since  they  had  more 
room  for  the  boilers  and  machinery  of  the  engines. 
All  the  chief  Narrow  Gauge  railway  engineers,  in- 
cluding Robert  Stephenson,  were  called  in  support  of 
the  London  and  Birmingham  Company's  line,  and 
after  having  heard  evidence  for  twelve  days  in  favour 
of  this  line,  the  case  for  the  Broad  Gauge  was  begun. 
The  inhabitants  and  merchants  of  Worcester  were 
wholly  in  favour  of  the  Great  Western  line.  Mr 
Williams,  engineer  to  the  Severn  Navigation,  stated 
that  the  London  and  Birmingham  wished  him  to  give 
evidence,  but  when  they  heard  his  vfews  of  the 
schemes  they  said, — 'We  will  havev  nothing  to  do 
with  you,  your  evidence  will  sink  us.'  After  the 
Committee  had  sat  for  three  weeks,  the  Chairman 
stated  that  they  had  heard  quite  sufficient  evidence 
proving  the  popularity  of  the  Great  Western  Railway 
over  the  London  and  Birmingham  line,  and  that  part 
of  the  case  closed.  During  the  whole  of  28th  May 
Mr  Brunei  was  giving  his  evidence.  His  principal 
points  were,  that  this  Great  Western  line  had  been 
projected  as  long  ago  as  1836,  and  that  the  gradients 
of  this  line  were  better  than  the  Narrowr  Gauge  ones, 
his  steepest  being  i  in  80,  while  the  Narrow  Gauge 
had  i  in  67,  besides  which  his  line  was  shorter  by 
15  miles,  and  the  Broad  Gauge  line  traversed  a  more 
densely  populated  district  than  that  of  the  London 
and  Birmingham.  No  difficulty  would  arise  as  to 
transhipping  trucks  from  one  gauge  to  another,  as  he 
had  invented  a  simple  contrivance  to  carry  out  this 
purpose,  and  it  worked  admirably.  Nearly  the  whole 
of  the  next  day  was  taken  up  with  Mr  Brunei's  cross- 
examination.  The  Secretary  of  the  Grand  Junction 
Railway  also  gave  evidence  in  favour  of  the  Broad 
Gauge  line.  The  opposition  of  the  Grand  Junction 
Railway  was  felt  very  much  by  the  London  and 
Birmingham  Railway,  and  so  fearful  was  the  latter 


i  2O      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

that  the  former  would  amalgamate  with  the  Great 
Western  Railway,  and  so  give  the  Broad  Gauge  access 
to  Manchester  and  Liverpool  and  the  north-western 
district  generally,  that  the  fear  of  such  a  coalition  was 
the  principal  factor  that  caused  the  London  and 
Birmingham  to  be  so  desirous  of  amalgamating  with 
the  Grand  Junction  Railway,  and  which  was  duly 
carried  into  effect  in  1846.  The  evidence  was 
finished  on  26.  June,  and  then  Mr  Cockburn  addressed 
the  Committee  on  behalf  of  the  Broad  Gauge  line. 
MX  Austin  replied  in  behalf  of  the  London  and 
Birmingham  project,  and  on  4th  June,  after  deliber- 
ating for  three  hours,  the  Committee  decided  that 
the  preamble  of  the  Broad  Gauge  Bills  had  been 
proved,  and  that  the  Narrow  Gauge  had  not.  The 
Committee  sat  for  five  weeks  hearing  the  evidence 
for  and  against  these  rival  proposals.  This  was 
indeed  a  decided  success  for  the  Great  Western,  more 
especially  as  their  propositions  had  been  reported 
against  by  the  Board  of  Trade.  In  the  House  of 
Commons,  on  2oth  June,  Lord  Ingestre  moved  the 
consideration  of  the  report  on  these  Bills,  and  Mr 
Cobden  moved  an  amendment  asking  for  a  Select 
Committee  to  inquire  into  the  gauge  question.  After 
a  very  long  debate  the  original  motion  was  carried  by 
a  majority  of  134  in  a  House  of  360  members.  On 
24th  June  the  third  reading  of  the  two  Bills  was 
moved,  and  an  amendment  proposed  '  that  the  Bill 
should  be  read  a  third  time  that  day  six  months.'  On 
this  occasion  the  Worcester  Bill  was  passed  without 
a  division,  and  the  Rugby  one  by  132  votes  to  95. 
The  next  day  Mr  Cobden  moved — '  That  it  having 
been  represented  to  this  House  by  petitions  from 
various  public  bodies,  as  well  as  from  merchants, 
manufacturers  and  others,  that  serious  impediments 
to  the  internal  traffic  of  the  country  are  likely  to  arise 
from  the  "  breaks  "  that  will  occur  in  railway  communi- 
cations from  the  want  of  a  uniform  gauge ;  and  these 
representations  not  having  been  fully  inquired  into  by 


The  Parliamentary  Battle.  121 

any  of  the  Committees  of  this  House  upon  private 
Bills,  and  it  being  desirable  that  the  subject  should  be 
further  investigated,  an  humble  address  be  presented 
to  Her  Majesty,  praying  Her  Majesty  to  be  graciously 
pleased  to  issue  a  Commission  to  inquire,  whether,  in 
future  private  Acts  for  the  construction  of  railways, 
provision  ought  to  be  made  for  securing  an  uniform 
gauge,  and  whether  it  would  be  expedient  and  prac- 
ticable to  take  measures  to  bring  the  railways  already 
constructed,  or  in  progress  of  construction,  in  Great 
Britain  into  uniformity  of  gauge  ;  and  to  inquire 
whether  any  other  mode  of  obviating  or  mitigating 
the  apprehended  evil  could  be  adopted,  and  to  report 
the  same  to  this  House.'  This  after  a  long  discussion 
was  agreed  to,  and  in  the  London  Gazette  of  Tuesday, 
5th  July  1845,  notice  was  given  of  the  appointment  of 
Sir  John  Mark  Frederic  Smith,  Lieutenant-Colonel  of 
the  Royal  Corps  of  Engineers,  late  Inspector-General 
of  Railways  ;  George  Biddell  Airy,  Esq.,  Astronomical 
Observertor  in  Her  Majesty's  Observatory  at  Green- 
wich ;  and  Peter  Barlow,  Esq.,  Professor  of  Mathe- 
matics in  the  Royal  Military  Academy  at  Woolwich, 
to  act  as  Commissioners.  The  Worcester  and  Rugby 
Broad  Gauge  Bills  came  before  the  Lords'  Committee 
on  8th  July,  and  on  the  24th,  after  spending  fourteen 
days  in  hearing  the  evidence,  the  Committee  declared 
the  preamble  proved.  These  Bills  for  the  Broad  Gauge 
lines  from  Oxford  to  Worcester  and  Rugby  were 
passed  on  28th  July,  and  received  the  Royal  assent  on 
4th  August.  The  Rugby  line  was  50^-  miles  long, 
with  a  capital  of  ,£600,000,  and  the  Wblverhampton 
had  a  mileage  of  1034,  and  a  million  and  a  half  capital. 
The  other  Broad  Gauge  Bills  that  passed  in  this 
Session  were— 

Berks  and  Hants,       .         .  39    miles  long,       ^£400,000  capital. 
Exeter  and  Crediton,          .       5^      ,,       .,  ^70,000      „ 

Monmouth  and  Hereford,  .  36^      „       ,,  ;£55°,°°°      » 

South  Wales,      .         .         .  182!      ,,       „  ,£2, 800,000      „ 
Wilts,  Somerset  and 

Weymouth,    .         .         .  129!      „       „  .£1,500,000      „ 


122      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Here,  then,  were  a  series  of  triumphs  for  the  Broad 
Gauge.  Victorious  everywhere,  yet  by  these  very 
victories  the  cause  of  the  Broad  Gauge  was  in  danger 
of  annihilation,  for  the  various  Narrow  Gauge  com- 
panies, fearing  the  onward  march  of  the  Broad  Gauge, 
amalgamated  their  railways  and  consolidated  their 
forces  for  a  renewed  and  more  determined  attack. 
The  public  generally  were  in  favour  of  the  Broad 
Gauge  ;  the  larger  vehicles,  the  more  powerful  en- 
gines, and  the  higher  rate  of  speed,  all  appealed  to 
the  popular  fancy,  while  much  of  the  success  of  the 
Great  Western  Bills  must  be  ascribed  to  the  remark- 
able talent,  skill  and  decision  of  Mr  Brunei  and  Mr 
Saunders ;  each  in  his  own  sphere  designed,  managed 
and  carried  through  the  various  arrangements  neces- 
sary for  the  great  Parliamentary  contests  of  this 
memorable  year. 

The  next  move  in  the  battle  was  made  by  the 
Narrow  Gauge  parties,  and  we  cannot  but  own  that 
it  reflects  great  discredit  on  those  who  were  respon- 
sible for  these  dishonest  and  underhanded  proceed- 
ings. The  London  and  Birmingham,  not  being 
successful  in  obtaining  their  Worcester,  Dudley 
and  Wolverhampton  Act,  set  to  work  to  try  and 
acquire  the  line  sanctioned  by  Parliament,  viz.,  the 
Broad  Gauge  Oxford,  Worcester  and  Wolverhampton 
Railway.  It  must  be  remembered  that  although  this 
line  was  promoted,  and  its  Parliamentary  battle  fought 
by  the  Great  Western  Railway,  it  was  nominally  an 
independent  company,  although  the  Great  Western 
Railway  had  subscribed  half  the  capital.  The  first 
general  meeting  of  shareholders  of  the  Oxford, 
Worcester  and  Wolverhampton  Company  was  held 
on  i4th  October  1845,  and  the  question  was  raised 
by  a  person  who  turned  out  to  be  a  nominee  of  the 
London  and  Birmingham  Railway  as  to  whether  some 
better  terms  could  not  be  obtained  for  their  line  than 
those  provisionally  agreed  between  their  Company 
and  the  Great  Western  Railway.  A  discussion  fol- 


The  Parliamentary  Battle.  123 

lowed,  but  the  arrangement  with  the  Great  Western 
Railway  was  confirmed. 

The  Directors,  however,  afterwards  obtained  a 
guarantee  of  4  per  cent,  and  a  share  of  the  profits 
from  the  Great  Western  Railway  Company,  and  a 
lease  of  the  line  was  granted  to  the  Great  Western 
Railway  on  these  terms  for  999  years.  Matters  pro- 
gressed in  a  satisfactory  manner  till  the  half  yearly 
meeting,  held  in  August  1846,  when  Lord  Redesdale 
(who  up  to  that  time  had  been  a  staunch  supporter  of 
the  Great  Western  Railway)  surprised  the  Oxford, 
Worcester  and  Wolverhampton  shareholders  by  stat- 
ing— '  He  was  a  holder  of  five  shares,  but  he  appeared 
on  public  grounds  and  on  behalf  of  many  individuals 
connected  with  the  district  in  which  he  resided,  and 
who  thought  with  him  that  if  the  company  allowed  the 
Great  Western  to  carry  out  the  Oxford  and  Birming- 
ham line  they  would  be  perpetrating  a  suicide  on 
themselves.  All  that  they  got  from  the  Great 
Western  was  4  per  cent.  That  amount  and  more 
they  could  get  from  the  London  and  Birmingham  to- 
morrow if  they  chose  to  go  to  them.'  In  answer  to 
this,  one  of  the  largest  shareholders  stated  that  '  Re- 
ports of  Gauge  Commissioners  and  Acts  of  Parliament 
had  been  thrown  in  the  way  of  the  extension  of  the 
Broad  Gauge,  but  they  were  to  be  treated  as  so  many 
cobwebs.  The  Commissioners'  report  had  been  proved 
to  be  not  worth  a  rush,  and  to  be  founded  in  the  teeth 
of  evidence  and  truth,  and  the  Act  of  Parliament  just 
passed  was  not  worth  much  more.  A  Broad  Gauge 
would  bear  up  to  Liverpool  as  well  as  to  Birmingham 
before  two  or  three  years  were  over.  The  men  of 
London  were  travelling  to  Exeter,  200  miles,  in  4 
hours,  while  to  Liverpool,  only  3  or  4  miles  more,  they 
were  more  than  6  hours ;  and  the  best  possible  proof 
that  this  prediction  would  be  realised  was  the  fact  that 
Mr  G.  Stephenson  told  him  a  month  ago  that  they  had 
got  to  the  maximum  of  their  speed  on  the  Narrow 
Gauge,  and  could  not  go  faster  to  Liverpool.  Mer- 


1 24      A  History  o/  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

chants  in  Liverpool  also  had  told  him  that  they  would 
not  rest  till  they  got  the  Broad  Gauge  if  they  could 
save  2  hours  between  Liverpool  and  London.' 
However,  the  shareholders  still  remained  loyal  to  the 
Broad  Gauge,  and  at  this  meeting  a  dividend  of  4 
per  cent,  was  declared  payable  by  the  Great  Western 
Railway,  although  the  Oxford,  Worcester  and  Wolver- 
hampton  Railway  was  only  then  being  constructed. 
Matters,  to  outward  appearances,  remained  in  a  peace- 
ful condition,  and  progress  was  made  with  the  con- 
struction of  the  line,  but  the  Narrow  Gauge  party 
was  working  in  secret,  and  in  March  1847  they  called 
a  meeting  of  the  shareholders,  at  which  a  resolution 
was  carried  that  a  committee  be  formed  to  adopt  steps 
to  set  aside  the  lease  to  the  Great  Western  Railway 
Company.  Meetings  to  agitate  the  same  question 
were  shortly  after  held  in  Leeds  and  Liverpool  (towns 
far  away  from  Broad  Gauge  railways).  Leaving  the 
Parliamentary  struggle  for  the  present  we  now  propose 
to  describe  the  exciting  events  of  the  engineering 
battle  that  raged  at  this  time,  including  the  experi- 
ments made  by  the  Gauge  Commissioners.  In  a 
future  chapter  we  shall  return  to  the  Parliamentary 
struggles  of  subsequent  years. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

ENGINEERING     BATTLE. 

IN  a  previous  chapter  we  have  given  a  somewhat 
detailed  account  of  the  early  engines  and  vehicles 
in  use  on  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Our  readers  will  also  remember  that  on  the  day 
the  line  was  opened  to  Exeter  the -train  conveying 
the  Great  Western  Directors  returned  to  London  in 
4  hours  40  minutes ;  this  was,  of  course,  a  special 
train,  and  made  an  exceptionally  quick  run.  But 
the  gauge  contest  put  the  Great  Western  Railway 
on  their  mettle,  and  from  the  i2th  May  1845  it  was 
arranged  that  the  express  trains  to  and  from  Exeter 
would  perform  the  journey  in  4^  hours — the  down 
train  left  Paddington  at  9.45  A.M.  and  arrived  at 
Exeter  at  2.15  P.M.,  and  the  up  train  left  Exeter  at  12 
noon  and  arrived  at  Paddington  at  4.30  P.M.  At 
present  the  fastest  down  train  (the  '  Cornishman ') 
starts  at  10.15  A.M.  and  arrives  at  Exeter  at  2.20  P.M., 
while  an  up  express  now  leaves  Exeter  at  12.12  P.M. 
and  arrives  at  4.30  P.M.  Not  much  improvement  with 
regard  to  speed  during  half  a  century  certainly !  Then, 
as  now,  all  trains  had  to  stop  at  Swindon  10  minutes 
for  refreshments,  the  Great  Western  Railway  having 
covenanted  to  do  this  in  the  lease  for  ninety-nine 
years  granted  to  the  refreshment  contractor,  who 
pays  them  a  rental  of  id.  per  annum  in  consideration 
of  him  building  the  refreshment  room  at  his  own  cost. 
One  writer,  in  describing  these  expresses,  states,  that 
'  This  was  before  the  Great  Western  Railway  suffered 

from  the  incubus  of  the  Swindon  Refreshment  Rooms.' 

125 


126      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

He  is,  however,  in  error,  as  the  lease  was  then  in 
existence,  and  no  sooner  had  the  new  trains,  which 
did  not  stop  at  Swindon,  been  put  on  the  road,  than 
the  lessee  commenced  an  action  against  the  railway 
for  breach  of  covenant.  The  railway  in  their  defence 
alleged  that  the  plaintiff  ought  to  have  proved  that 
there  were  passengers  in  these  trains  who  wished  to 
take  refreshments  at  Swindon  before  he  would  be 
entitled  to  sue.  The  Court,  however,  decided  in 
favour  of  the  refreshment  contractor ;  but  as  the  Long 
Vacation  had  interposed  during  the  hearing  of  the 
action,  this  judgment  was  not  delivered  until  ist 
.December  1845.  But  although  these  fast  trains  did 
not  for  the  first  few  days  stop  at  Swindon,  they  had  to 
contend  with  a  far  more  serious  hindrance  at  Bristol, 
which  caused  considerable  delay,  and  which  we  have 
not  found  mentioned  by  other  writers.  At  Bristol 
the  lines  of  the  Great  Western  and  the  Bristol  and 
Exeter  met  at  right  angles,  so  that  the  vehicles  of  all 
through  trains  had  each  to  be  uncoupled  from  another, 
and  one  by  one  placed  upon  a  turn-table  and  turned 
round  90  degrees,  and  then  the  carriages  had  to  be 
connected  again  before  the  train  could  proceed,  and 
this  was,  of  course,  an  effectual  bar  to  any  accelera- 
tion that  might  have  been  obtained  by  not  stopping 
at  Bristol.  These  express  trains  had  not  been  running 
long  before  the  down  one  unfortunately  met  with  an 
accident.  On  lyth  June  the  train,  which  consisted 
of  an  engine  and  tender,  a  four-wheeled  luggage  van, 
and  two  first  and  two  second-class  carriages,  each 
with  six  wheels,  left  Paddington  at  the  booked  time, 
and  travelled  as  usual  until  after  passing  under  the  Dog 
Kennel  Bridge,  15  miles  from  Paddington,  when 
the  wheels  of  the  van  left  the  rails  on  the  south 
side ;  but  the  longitudinal  sleepers  kept  the  wheels 
quite  close  to  the  rails,  so  that  none  of  the  officials 
or  passengers  were  aware  of  the  mishap.  After  run- 
ning for  about  a  mile  and  a  half  with  the  van  ofT 
the  line,  the  train  reached  a  place  where  the  railway 


Engineering  Battle.  127 

crossed  over  a  road  by  means  of  a  bridge.  The  rails 
being  laid  in  trough-shaped  girders  here,  the  wheels 
of  the  van  which  were  off  the  line  ran  foul  of  these 
girders.  This  threw  all  the  vehicles  off  the  line  except 
the  engine  ;  the  carriages  were  turned  completely  over, 
and  throwrn  down  an  embankment.  There  were  130 
passengers  in  the  train,  amongst  whom  were  Mr 
Brunei  and  an  assistant,  and  Mr  Clarke,  the  super- 
intendent of  the  line,  and  his  wife.  Fortunately  none 
of  the  passengers  sustained  any  more  serious  injuries 
than  a  few  bruises  and  a  severe  shaking.  The  total 
weight  of  the  train  was  as  follows: — Engine,  16  tons; 
tender,  10  tons  ;  van,  3^-  tons  ;  two  first-class  carriages, 
each  7^  tons  ;  two  second-class  carriages,  each  7  tons  ; 
total,  58^-  tons.  The  cause  of  the  accident  was  the 
elasticity  of  the  rails,  combined  with  the  light  weight 
of  the  van,  causing  the  latter  to  '  jump '  off  the  line. 
The  Narrow  Gauge  party  immediately  attributed  this 
catastrophe  to  the  speed  and  the  gauge,  but  the 
Government  Inspector  in  his  report  distinctly  stated 
that  it  was  due  to  the  lightness  of  the  van  and  rails, 
and  recommended  the  use  of  a  six-wheel  van  and 
heavier  rails,  which  recommendation  was  immediately 
carried  out ;  in  fact,  heavier  rails  were  already  being 
put  down,  and  the  work  had  been  finished  nearly  up 
to  the  spot  where  the  derailment  took  place.  At  the 
time  the  Gauge  Commission  was  appointed  there  were 
open  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  2264  miles  of  rail- 
way, of  which 

274  were  7  feet  (Broad  Gauge), 

25      „      6     ,,      2     inches  (Irish), 
32      „      5     „     6         ,,        (Scotch  Gauge), 
32      »      5     »      3         »        (Irish  Gauge), 
1901      „      4     „     8|       „  .      (Narrow  Gauge), 
including  the  Eastern  Counties  and   Blackwall   Rail- 
ways which   had    recently   altered    their   gauge    from 
5  feet.     There  were  also  a  few  miles  of  4  feet  6  inch 
gauge  in  Scotland.      Besides  which  65  if  miles  of  ad- 
ditional   Broad  Gauge  lines  had  received  Parliamen- 


128      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway, 

tary  sanction,  some  portions  of  which  were  then 
under  construction.  At  the  same  period  the  highest 
speeds  were  :— 

Great  Western,        .         .    48.2  miles  per  hour  (E.G.), 
Northern  and  Eastern,    .43.8  „  (N.G.), 

London  and  Birmingham,    43.7  ,,  ,, 

South- Western,        .         .    40.6  .,  ,, 

London  and  Brighton,      .39.3  ,,  „ 

Grand  Junction  Railway,  .     36.9  ,,  ,, 

The  Great  Western  speed  for  the  whole  journey, 
London  to  Exeter  (194  miles),  was  at  the  rate  of  44 
miles  an  hour,  while  the  London  and  Birmingham 
average  was  but  23.6  miles  per  hour  for  its  express 
trains. 

We  have  already  stated  the  names  of  the  Gauge 
Commissioners  ;  of  these  Sir  F.  Smith,  a  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  the  Royal  Engineers,  had  formerly,  but  not 
immediately  prior  to  his  appointment  on  the  Commis- 
sion, filled  the  office  of  Inspector  General  of  Rail- 
ways, so  that  he  had  some  theoretical  knowledge  of 
railways;  Professor  Barlow,  C.E.,  was  a  well  known 
mathematician,  and  had  undertaken  many  experiments 
in  connection  with  railways — he  was  therefore  well 
fitted  to  act  as  a  Commissioner ;  but  the  appointment 
of  Sir  G.  B.  Airy,  the  astronomer  royal,  was  cer- 
tainly a  questionable  one.  A  newspaper,  in  an  article 
dealing  with  Sir  G.  B.  Airy's  appointment,  thus 
criticises  it, — 'What  the  third  party,  Professor  Airy, 
the  astronomer  royal,  can  have  been  appointed  for 
we  find  railway  men  rather  puzzled  to  see,  the  con- 
nection between  the  satellites  of  Jupiter  or  the  last 
comet  and  the  motion  of  railway  trains  being  rather 
obscure  to  unscientific  eyes.  The  only  paper  of  a 
practical  nature  we  have  ever  seen  from  the  pen 
of  the  astronomer  royal  went  to  prove  that,  in 
practice,  a  short  connecting  rod  gave  out  as  much 
power  as  a  long  one,  and  we  fear  such  an  investi- 
gation is  not  likely  to  impart  great  confidence  in 
the  practical  wisdom  of  his  decisions.  With  two 


Engineering  Battle.  129 

such  coadjutors,  however,  it  is  not  likely  that  he 
will  do  much  harm  if  he  do  no  good ;  and,  per- 
haps the  public,  who  are  much  influenced  by  names, 
may  think  a  decision  stamped  with  the  authority 
of  an  astronomer  royal  more  valid  than  a  better 
opinion  with  a  more  vulgar  appendage.  We  think, 
however,  that  we  may  say  that  the  railway  world 
are  well  satisfied  with  the  appoinment  of  Professor 
Barlow  and  Sir  Frederick  Smith,  and  if  the  orna- 
ment of  the  third  name  shall  give  their  decision 
more  weight  with  the  Government,  it  will  not  impair 
its  influence  with  the  railways.'  The  Commissioners, 
whose  office  was  in  the  House  of  Commons  Com- 
mittee Room,  No.  1 6,  soon  got  to  work,  and  its 
first  act  was  to  issue  a  circular  addressed  to  the 
various  railways,  asking  them  to  tender  evidence 
before  the  Commissioners,  and  also  to  forward  copies 
of  their  last  two  half-years'  reports  for  information 
on  the  following  subjects  : — '  Tunnels,  etc. — Length, 
breadth,  height,  distance  from  terminus. — Embank- 
ments above  100  yards  in  length. — Width,  extreme 
height,  distance  from  terminus.  Cuttings  above  100 
yards  in  length. — Width,  extreme  depth,  distance  from 
terminus.  Viaducts. — Length,  width,  height,  distance 
from  terminus.  Bridges. — Number  of  passed  under, 
passed  over  ;  width  between  the  piers  ;  width  between 
the  parapets ;  distance  from  terminus ;  point  of  junc- 
tion with  adjacent  lines  or  branches,  name  of  adjacent 
line  or  branch  ;  breadth  of  gauge,  principal  line,  branch. 

'  Support  for  the  Rails. — Length  of  line  on  con- 
tinuous bearing ;  length  of  line  on  blocks ;  length 
of  line  on  transverse  sleepers ;  average  length  of 
transverse  sleepers.  Permanent  Way. — Cost  of  for- 
mation ;  cost  of  maintenance  between  the  ist  of 
January  and  the  3ist  of  December  1844. 

'  Engines  with  Outside  or  Inside  Cylinders. — Num- 
ber of  engines  having  four  or  six  wheels ;  diameter 
of  driving  wheels ;  diameter  of  cylinder ;  length  of 
stroke  ;  average  weight  when  charged. 

i 


1 30      A  History  oj  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

'  Carriages. — Class  of  carriage,  first  class,  second 
class,  third  class  ;  trucks,  horse  boxes,  goods  waggons, 
sheep  cages ;  number  of  carriages  with  four  or  six 
wheels  ;  diameter  of  wheels  ;  average  weight. 

'  Value  of  Locomotive  and  Carrying  Stock. — Value 
of  locomotive  engines ;  value  of  carriages,  trucks, 
horse  boxes,  goods  waggons,  etc. 

'  Carrying  expenses  from  \st  January  to  ^\st  De- 
cember 1844. — Passenger  trains. — Average  expense  of 
locomotive  department  per  train  per  mile ;  heads 
of  expense  included  in  this  return ;  average  number 
of  passengers  per  train  per  mile ;  average  speed. 
Goods  trains. — Average  expense  of  locomotive  de- 
partment per  train  per  mile ;  heads  of  expense  in- 
cluded in  this  return  ;  average  load  carried  per  train 
per  mile ;  average  speed.  Express  trains. — Average 
speed  of  express  trains  from  the  i5th  of  June  to 
the  1 5th  of  July;  average  load  ;  description  of  engine 
used ;  number  of  accidents  from  going  off  rails  ; 
length  and  radius  of  curves.' 

Not  content  with  the  answers  to  these  exhaustive 
inquiries,  a  supplementary  list  was  shortly  after 
formulated.  These  questions,  which  dealt  principally 
with  the  transhipment  of  goods  at  points  where 
the  two  gauges  met,  were  as  follow: — i.  In  the 
delay  it  will  occasion  to  express  trains.  2.  On 
passenger  trains  generally.  3.  On  merchandise 
traffic.  4.  On  mineral  and  agricultural  traffic.  5. 
The  Commissioners  request  the  suggestions  of  the 
directors  as  to  the  best  means  of  transhipment,  or 
of  otherwise  diminishing  any  evil  which  may  arise 
where  different  gauges  meet. 

In  reference  to  the  general  questions  of  the 
relative  superiority  of  the  Broad  and  Narrow 
Gauge  an  opinion  is  requested : — i.  As  to  the 
mechanical  properties  of  either  gauge  as  regards 
safety,  speed,  and  passenger  accommodation.  2.  As 
to  the  economy  of  construction,  working  (referring 
separately  to  lines  of  large  traffic  and  lines  of 


Engineering  Battle.  131 

moderate  traffic).  3.  As  to  commercial  advantages 
and  convenience  having  regard  to  merchandise, 
mineral  traffic  and  agricultural  traffic. 

On  6th  August  1845,  the  Commissioners  met  for 
the  first  time,  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  evidence ; 
Mr  Daniel  Gooch,  the  locomotive  superintendent  of 
the  Great  Western  Railway,  was  left  to  fight  for  the 
Broad  Gauge  before  the  Commissioners.  Mr  Brunei 
and  Mr  Saunders  being  at  this  time  abroad  on  a  holi- 
day, and  not  giving  their  evidence  till  the  end  of 
November,  when  Mr  Brunei  proposed  the  famous  ex- 
periments with  passenger  and  goods  trains,  particulars 
of  which  are  given  in  the  next  chapter.  The  Narrow 
Gauge  party  strongly  opposed  these  practical  tests, 
although  in  their  evidence  they  had  all  affirmed  that  the 
Narrow  Gauge  engineswere  quite  as  capablewith  regard 
to  speed,  safety  and  hauling  powers  as  the  Broad  Gauge. 
They  had  been  building  new  and  larger  engines,  hop- 
ing that  these  would  be  able  to  equal  those  in  use  on 
the  Great  Western  Railway,  who  were  content  to  use 
their  ordinary  engines  in  these  trials.  Had  the  Great 
Western  Railway  had  the  'Great  Britain'  built  in 
time  for  these  experiments,  Mr  Gooch  affirms  that  the 
whole  character  of  the  gauge  report  would  have  been 
entirely  different.  The  new  Broad  Gauge  engines  were, 
however,  not  designed  until  after  the  experiments.  Mr 
Gooch,  writing  of  the  new  engines  built  for  the  experi- 
ments by  the  Narrow  Gauge  party,  thus  relates  his  ex- 
perience of  them  : — '  They  constructed  the  boilers  of 
great  length  without  getting  any  more  heating  surface 
in  the  fire-box,  and  allowed  this  exceptional  length  to 
overhang  the  wheels  at  each  end.  '  The  White  Horse 
of  Kent,'  on  which  I  had  a  number  of  experiments 
made,  was  so  unsteady  that  it  was  necessary  to  be  tied 
on  to  make  experiments  on  the  smoke-box  temperature, 
and  the  tube  surface  was  carried  to  so  great  an  extent, 
that  the  heat  in  the  smoke-box  was  less  than  the 
temperature  of  the  steam  used,  so  that  one  end  of  the 
engine  was  actually  acting  as  a  condenser.' 


132      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

The  Commission  examined  forty-six  witnesses,  and 
some  of  these  more  than  once.  Thirty  of  these  were  in 
favour  of  the  Narrow  Gauge,  four  in  favour  of  the 
Broad  Gauge,  and  nine  in  favour  of  an  intermediate 
gauge.  Of  the  remaining  three,  two  generals  in  the 
army  only  gave  evidence  against  the  break  of  gauge, 
and  the  other,  Major  General  Pasley,  the  Government 
Inspector  of  railways,  was  in  favour  of  a  5  feet  gauge ; 
and  in  1843,  when  the  question  of  gauge  began  to 
attract  general  attention,  Major  General  Pasley  wrote 
to  the  various  railway  engineers  the  following  letter  :— 
1  Supposing  that  there  were  no  railways  in  England, 
and  that  a  system  of  new  ones  were  proposed  to  em- 
brace the  most  important  communications  all  over  the 
country,  what  would  you  with  your  present  experience 
recommend  as  being  the  best  uniform  gauge  to  be 
adopted  for  the  whole  of  them,  so  that  they  all  might 
work  together  in  such  a  manner  that  the  locomotive 
engines  and  carriages  of  any  one  railway  might  travel 
on  all  the  others  ? '  Of  all  these  engineers,  the  two 
Stephensons  were  the  only  ones  who  replied  that  they 
were  in  favour  of  the  4  feet  8|-  inch  gauge,  and 
George  Stephenson  admitted  in  the  correspondence 
that  5  feet  2  inches  would  have  been  a  better  gauge. 
Mr  Brunei  was  not  asked  as  his  answer  was  a  fore- 
gone conclusion;  but  for  the  same  reason  the  Stephen- 
sons  should  have  been  omitted  from  the  list  of  those 
questioned.  Mr  Gooch  in  his  reply  stated, — '  That  he 
was  not  inclined  to  recommend  a  greater  gauge  than 
6  feet.' 

The  Broad  Gauge  witnesses  were : — Mr  Brunei, 
the  engineer  of  the  Great  Western  Railway ;  Mr 
Gooch,  locomotive  engineer  ;  Mr  Saunders,  secretary  ; 
Mr  Clarke,  superintendent  of  the  line,  while  all  the 
principal  locomotive  engineers  were  in  favour  of  an 
intermediate  gauge,  none  considering  the  Narrow 
Gauge  suitable  to  the  development  of  the  loco- 
motive. 

Bury.    William  and    Benjamin    Cubitt,    Gray  and 


Engineering  Battle.  133 

Roberts  were  the  locomotive  engineers  who  gave 
evidence  against  the  4  feet  8|-  inch  gauge,  while 
Vignoles  was  in  favour  of  a  6  feet  gauge,  and  Land- 
mann  (engineer  to  the  Greenwich  Railway)  of  a  gauge 
between  5  feet  and  6  feet. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE     GAUGE    EXPERIMENTS. 

THE  Great  Western  Railway  proposed  that  the  experi- 
ments should  take  place  on  the  Broad  Gauge  between 
London  and  Bristol  and  back,  and  on  the  London 
and  Birmingham  Railway  between  those  two  places, 
both  ways  for  the  Narrow  Gauge  ;  but  the  latter  party 
would  not  agree  to  this  obviously  fair  proposal,  the 
4  feet  8|-  inch  champions  preferring  a  short  length  of 
line,  such  as  could  be  run  without  stopping  for  a  fresh 
supply  of  water.  The  Narrow  Gauge  therefore  chose  a 
very  straight  and  level  length  of  line  between  York 
and  Darlington,  45  miles  long,  while  the  Great 
Western  chose  the  53  miles  from  London  to  Didcot. 
The  Great  Western  used  cold  feed-water  for  their 
locomotives,  and  started  their  experimental  trains  from 
a  state  of  rest,  while  the  Narrow  Gauge  used  warm 
water,  and  attained  a  velocity  of  10  miles  an  hour 
before  the  starting  point  was  reached.  The  Broad 
Gauge  experiments  were  carried  out  on  the  days 
arranged — in  the  middle  of  December — two  of  these 
days  were  very  unfavourable,  on  one  a  high  wind  was 
blowing,  and  on  the  other  a  small  drizzling  rain  was 
falling,  both  causing  the  speed  to  be  considerably  less 
than  would  have  been  the  case  under  more  favourable 
atmospheric  conditions. 

The  Broad  Gauge  engine  used  for  the  passenger 
train  experiments  was  the  '  Ixion,'  built  by  Fenton  and 
Murray,  a  six-wheel  engine  with  single  drivers,  7  feet 
diameter,  cylinders  15  inches  diameter,  20  inch  stroke, 
weight  of  engine  loaded,  about  22  tons.  On  i6th 

134 


The  Gauge  Experiments. 


135 


December  the  experimental  train  consisted  of  eight 
carriages,  each  weighing  10  tons,  the  gross  weight 
being  81  tons  13  cwt.  (exclusive  of  the  engine  and 
tender).  The  following  is  the  official  timing  of  this 
trip  up  and  down  :— 


No.  of 
Miles. 

STATIONS. 

FIRST  TRIP 

Down,  A.M. 
hrs.      min. 

Up,  P.M. 
hrs.      min. 

Started  from  Paddington, 

9        S^i 

Reached  first  mile  post,  . 

10              2\ 

*          4f 

West  London  Crossing,  . 

10         61 

1        2i 

5j 

Baling,  . 

IO          II 

12       59 

Hanwell, 

10        13 

12       57 

9 

Southall, 

10         ^I/]f 

12           55| 

13 

West  Drayton, 

IO           20 

12           50^ 

18 

Slough,  .... 

10        25^ 

12       44i 

22| 

Maidenhead,  . 

10       30^ 

12          40 

3°l 

Twyford, 

10       40 

12           31 

35i 

Reading, 

10       46 

12           26 

4Ji 

Pangbourne,  . 

10       52^ 

12           2O 

444 

Goring,  .... 

10       56^ 

12           l6 

47i 

Wallingford  Road, 

II              O 

12          13 

53 

Didcot,  .... 

ii          6^ 

12             4^ 

Total  time  on  road 

i          4 

I              Cj 

(52  miles) 

It  will  be  well  here  to  observe  the  gradients 
between  London  and  Didcot  on  the  down  journey. 
They  are  as  follows  :— 

Miles.      Posts. 
From        ^  to     2^-  rise  3  feet  per  mile 

9f     v     4     » 
:QJ-  level. 

12? 


9i 


I2f 


*i    fall  4 
;A  level. 


20 


4 
rise  2 


136      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Miles.       Posts. 
From    20    to  23     rise  4  feet  per  mile. 

»          23        M    3    4T      "       4       "  " 

32t  »  36i   fall  4     », 

36J-  „  42     rise  4     „ 

42  „  43     level. 

43  „  44     rise  2.1  ,, 

»»       44      »>  53       »     4     »  » 

being  a  total  rise  of  i22j  feet  in  the  53  miles,  or,  de- 
ducting the  52  feet  fall,  we  have  a  net  rise  of  7  of  feet, 
against  which  the  down  train  had  to  contend,  which, 
coupled  with  a  head  wind,  accounts  for  the  longer 
time  on  the  down  journeys. 

In  the  afternoon  another  trip  was  made  with  only 
seven  carriages  of  a  total  gross  weight  of  71  ton  (ex- 
clusive of  the  engine  and  tender).  The  times  on  this 
occasion  were  less,  the  train  starting  from  Paddington 
at  2.4!-  P.M.,  and  arriving  at  Didcot  at  3.8  P.M.,  taking  i 
hour  3|-  minutes  for  the  journey,  and  on  the  up  journey 
56^-  minutes.  We  may  mention  that  in  the  official 
timing  of  this  train  on  the  up  journey,  with  wind  and 
gradient  in  its  favour,  i^  minutes  is  the  time  booked 
as  occupied  in  travelling  the  3^-  miles  from  Wallingford 
Road  to  Goring,  or  at  the  rate  of  130  miles  an  hour; 
there  must  surely  be  some  mistake  in  the  timing  on 
this  particular  part  of  the  journey.  The  train  was 
that  evening  got  ready  with  six  carriages  of  a  gross 
weight  of  60  tons  (without  engine  and  tender),  and  left 
at  the  platform  in  readiness  for  the  trip  on  Wednes- 
day morning.  Before  starting,  Inspector  Craig,  one 
of  the  Paddington  Station  officials,  examined  the  train 
to  see  if  all  were  right,  when,  to  his  amazement,  and  to 
the  astonishment  of  the  Broad  Gauge  party,  it  was 
found  that  the  grease  had  been  removed  from  the 
axle  boxes  of  all  the  carriages  in  the  night,  and  but 
for  Mr  Craig's  great  carefulness,  the  trial  would  have 
been  spoilt,  considerable  damage  done  to  the  rolling 
stock,  and  possibly  even  an  accident  to  the  train. 


The  Gauge  Experiments.  137 

Let  us  hope,  for  the  honour  of  British  fairness,  that 
the  Narrow  Gauge  officials  were  not  responsible  for 
this  underhand  proceeding,  although  doubtless  it  was 
the  work  of  some  Narrow  Gauge  fanatic.  Mr  Craig 
only  retired  from  active  duty  at  Paddington  Station 
at  the  end  of  1893,  after  over  fifty  years'  service. 

The  trips  on  the  i7th  were  timed  as  follows  (drizzl- 
ing rain  falling  the  whole  time)  starting  from  Paddington 
at  io.2|-  A.M.,  and  arriving  at  Didcot  11.5  A.M.,  thus 
taking  i  hour  2  J  minutes  to  complete  the  journey ; 
and  on  the  return,  starting  at  12.4  P.M.,  and  arriving  at 
Paddington  1.3  P.M.,  59  minutes  in  all. 

This  train  consisted  of  six  carriages,  and  weighed 
(without  the  engine  and  tender)  60  tons.  Despite  the 
unfavourable  state  of  the  weather,  so  successful  had 
the  Broad  Gauge  experiments  been;  that  the  Narrow 
Gauge  engineers  said  that  it  was  unnecessary  for  a 
trial  to  be  made  with  the  5o-ton  train,  as  they  well  knew 
their  engines  would  be  unable  to  perform  the  feats 
already  achieved  on  the  Great  Western  Railway,  and 
they  did  not  want  another  defeat  with  a  still  lighter 
train.  Although  not  in  the  official  experiments,  the 
'  Ixion'  a  few  days  later  worked  a  train  of  twelve  car- 
riages, or  1 20  tons,  from  London  to  Didcot  in  i  hour  7 
minutes,  being  at  the  rate  of  47  miles  an  hour,  a  very 
fine  performance,  seeing  that  in  the  official  trials  the 
same  engine  only  took  80  tons  at  the  rate  of  50  miles 
an  hour. 

For  the  goods  train  experiment  the  Great  Western 
Railway  used  the  '  Sampson,'  a  six  coupled  engine  with 
wheels  of  5  feet  diameter,  cylinders  16  inches  by  18 
inches,  and  with  a  fire-box  area  of  97  square  feet,  and 
a  tube  area  of  600  square  feet. 

This  engine  (not  built  for,  nor  being  in  any  way 
especially  qualified  for  the  trial)  easily  drew  a  train  of 
400  tons  from  London  to  Didcot  at  an  average  speed 
of  24  miles  per  hour  for  the  whole  journey. 

The  first  Narrow  Gauge  experiment  was  made  on 
3Oth  December.  The  passenger  engine  was  a  six- 


138      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

wheel  one  with  four  coupled  6  feet  6  inch  wheels  ;  out- 
side cylinders,  15  inches  by  21  inches;  height  of  boiler 
top  from  rails,  7  feet  4  inches.  The  engine  was  a  new 
one  built  for  the  occasion  by  R.  Stephenson  and  Com- 
pany, and  weighed  with  the  tender  28  tons. 

The  weight  of  the  train  was  50  tons  only.  It  will 
be  recollected  that  the  weights  of  the  experimental 
trains  upon  the  Broad  Gauge  (exclusive  of  engine  and 
tender)  were  fixed  at  80  tons,  70  tons  and  60  tons,  but 
that  the  actual  tonnages  were  81  tons  13  cwt.,  71  tons 
i2;f  cwt,  and  61  tons  2  qrs.  It  will  be  seen,  there- 
fore, that  this  experiment  upon  the  Narrow  Gauge 
line  has  no  parallel  working  upon  the  Broad  Gauge. 
The  Broad  Gauge  party  appeared  to  be  con- 
siderably surprised  at  the  reduction  of  10  tons  be- 
low the  lowest  of  the  weights  taken  by  the  Broad 
Gauge  engine,  and  Mr  Brunei,  Mr  Saunders  and  Mr 
Gooch  stated  that  the  result  of  the  working  of  such  a 
train,  to  the  running  of  which,  however,  they  said  they 
did  not  object,  could  not  have  the  slightest  reference 
to  any  one  of  the  experiments  tried  between  Paddington 
and  Didcot.  The  determination  to  take  50  tons  was 
come  to  without  consulting  the  Commissioners.  Mr 
Brunei's  original  proposition  was,  that  the  experi- 
mental trains  should  respectively  weigh  90  tons,  80 
tons,  and  70  tons ;  but  to  gratify  the  desire  of  the 
Narrow  Gauge  interests,  he  agreed  to  run  trains  of  80, 
70  and  60  tons.  Professor  Barlow  said  he  thought  it 
not  fair  to  run  a  5o-ton  train  when  the  lowest  of  the 
tonnages  taken  by  the  Broad  Gauge  locomotive  was 
60  tons.  Mr  Bidder  said  the  object  of  the  advocates 
of  the  Narrow  Gauge  was  to  show  the  capacity  of  their 
engines  as  well  with  a  5O-ton  as  with  60,  70  or  80- 
ton  trains,  and  that  they  should  most  assuredly  take 
experimental  trips  with  those  tonnages.  At  9  hours 
7  minutes  15  seconds  the  train  started  from  the 
station  in  order  to  proceed  to  the  first  mile  post, 
from  which  it  had  been  understood  the  experiment 
was  to  commence.  Upon  the  Great  Western  line,  the 


The  Gauge  Experiments.  139 

experimental  trains  left  the  Paddington  Terminus  and 
were  brought  to  a  stand-still  at  the  first  mile  post. 
This,  however,  was  not  the  case  with  the  Narrow 
Gauge,  the  train  passing  the  post  at  9  hours  1 2  minutes 
17  seconds. 

The  train  stopped  at  the  Darlington  Station  at 
10  hours  27  minutes  20  seconds.  It  will  here  be 
seen  that  the  43  miles  were  performed  in  i  hour  13 
minutes  and  53  seconds,  or  at  the  rate  of  nearly  35 
miles  per  hour.  The  maximum  speed  (between  the 
fifth  and  sixth  mile  posts)  was  nearly  53  miles  per  hour, 
and  the  minimum  rate  rather  more  than  25  miles  an 
hour.  The  average  speed  of  the  8o-ton  train  (ex- 
clusive of  the  engine  and  tender)  upon  the  Broad  Gauge 
line  was  47.5  miles  per  hour,  and  the  maximum  speed 
55  miles  per  hour.  There  was,  however,  one  thing 
greatly  against  the  Narrow  Gauge  experiment  of  this 
morning,  viz.,  the  wind.  When  the  train  left  the  York 
Station  the  weather  was  not  at  all  unfavourable  ;  the 
horizon  promised  rain,  but  very  little  wind  was  stirring. 
Up  to  the  tenth  mile  post,  the  result  promised  to  be 
very  good. 

The  poorness  of  the  result  was  attributed  by  the 
Narrow  Gauge  engineers  to  the  oblique  wind,  blowing 
across  the  rails,  first  encountered  about  the  tenth  mile 
post  from  York.  When  Mr  Brunei  heard  these  ex- 
cuses made  for  the  slowness  of  the  trip,  he  facetiously 
observed  that  it  was  caused  by  the  presence  of  George 
Hudson,  the  '  Railway  King,'  who  was  at  his  usual 
practice  of  '  raising  the  wind.'  After  waiting  at  the 
Darlington  Station  about  an  hour,  Mr  Bidder  proposed 
to  return  with  four  carriages  only.  Professor  Barlow 
objected  to  return  in  a  train  of  four  carriages,  and  that 
number  of  carriages  which  had  been  detached  from  the 
train  was  again  put  on  and  the  return  trip  commenced 
at  12  hours  8  minutes  15  seconds.  The  train  reached 
the  first  mile  post  from  the  York  Station  at  i  hour 
32  minutes  8  seconds,  performing  the  43  miles,  there- 
fore, in  i  hour  23  minutes  and  53  seconds,  or  at  a 


140      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

speed  of  about  30  miles  an  hour.  The  following  day 
a  further  trial  was  made  with  the  5o-ton  train,  when 
the  43  miles  were  covered  in  53  minutes  28  seconds,  or 
at  the  rate  of  48  miles  an  hour ;  the  wind  being  in 
favour  of  the  train  this  time.  The  next  trip  was  with 
an  8o-ton  train,  which,  however  (contrary  to  the  Broad 
Gauge  practice),  had  attained  a  speed  of  12  miles  an 
hour  when  passing  the  first  starting  point,  and  this 
train  also  had  the  wind  in  its  favour,  while  the  Broad 
Gauge  8o-ton  train  had  a  strong  wind  blowing  against 
it.  The  train  took  58  minutes  30  seconds  to  cover  the 
43  miles  against  52  minutes  37  seconds  on  the  first 
43  miles  of  the  Broad  Gauge  trip  of  53  miles.  The 
average  speed  on  this  occasion  on  the  Narrow  Gauge 
was  44  miles  an  hour.  On  the  third  day  a  serious 
accident  happened  ;  another  Narrow  Gauge  engine 
having  been  brought  from  Derby  and  four  carriages 
being  attached  to  it,  it  started  on  a  trip  from  York  to 
Darlington.  The  Commissioners  were  not  in  the  train, 
but  most  of  the  rival  engineers  were,  five  people  being 
on  the  engine  itself.  The  train  had  travelled  22  miles 
in  27  minutes,  when  the  engine  ran  off  the  line  and 
pitched  into  a  ditch  60  yards  further  on ;  only  the 
stoker  being  seriously  injured.  In  consequence  of 
this  accident  no  formal  experiment  took  place  on  this 
day,  nor  were  any  further  experiments  made  with 
passenger  trains  on  the  Narrow  Gauge.  On  the  next 
day  (Friday)  the  goods  train  experiments  took  place. 
The  engine  chosen  was  the  '  Hercules,'  with  six  coupled 
wheels  4  feet  6  inches  diameter,  cylinders  15  inches  by 
24  inches,  fire-box  area  60  square  feet,  tube  area  900 
feet,  or  a  total  heating  surface  of  263  feet  in  excess  of  the 
Broad  Gauge  goods  engine.  The  train  of  200  tons 
was  taken  from  York  to  Darlington  in  2  hours  14  minute 
20  seconds.  The  return  trip  with  forty-seven  loaded 
trucks  weighing  400  tons  and  over  300  yards  long,  was 
performed  in  2  hours  16  minutes  and  41  seconds,  or  at 
the  rate  of  19  miles  an  hour.  The  results  of  the  ex- 
periments were  in  every  case  greatly  in  favour  of  the 


The  Gauge  Experiments.  141 

Broad  Gauge.  Not  only  were  the  speeds  higher  and 
the  journeys  performed  for  a  longer  distance  and  under 
conditions  less  favourable  as  regards  the  weather,  to- 
gether with  the  locomotives  employed  starting  from  a 
state  of  rest,  and  the  use  of  cold  feed  water,  but  in  all 
issues,  and  especially  in  those  where  the  weights  of  the 
trains  were  equal,  the  results  attained  by  the  Broad 
Gauge  stand  out  far  superior  to  the  Narrow  Gauge 
efforts. 

Well  might  the  Broad  Gauge  party  have  looked  for- 
ward to  a  favourable  report,  extolling  the  greater  excel- 
lence of  their  system  in  every  particular,  and  for  a  clear 
and  unreserved  commendation  of  the  7  feet  gauge  by 
the  Commissioners,  together  with  full  leave  for  the  ex- 
tension of  the  Broad  Gauge  lines  in  all  directions,  where 
public  support  of  the  fully  demonstrated  and  undoubted 
superiority  of  Mr  Brunei's  railways  and  vehicles,  re- 
quired such  lines  to  be  constructed.  But  alas  !  this  justly- 
expected  and  completely-warranted  expectation  on  the 
part  of  the  '  Sesquipedalians  '  was  unhappily  doomed 
to  disappointment,  for,  soon  after  the  experiments  were 
completed,  rumour  (who  for  once  lied  not]  said  the  re- 
port would  be  in  favour  of  the  Narrow  Gauge,  and  so 
it  was  ;  for,  in  the  middle  of  February  1846,  the 
Commissioners  presented  their  report. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE    GAUGE    COMMISSIONERS*  REPORT. 

THE  report  was  delivered  by  the  Commissioners  in 
the  middle  of  February  (and  will  be  found  in  detail  in 
the  Appendix  at  the  end  of  this  volume).  It  was 
divided  into  three  sections,  with  a  general  conclusion. 
Each  of  these  sections  was  again  subdivided  under 
several  heads. 

Section  i,  on  the  break  of  gauge,  was  sub- 
divided. Fast  or  express  trains. — The  report 
under  this  heading  may  be  considered  in  favour 
of  the  Broad  Gauge,  the  conclusion  arrived  at  by  the 
Commissioners  being  that  they  did  not  '  consider  the 
break  of  gauge  in  this  instance  as  being  an  incon- 
venience of  so  grave  a  nature  as  to  call  for  any  legis- 
lative measures,  either  for  its  removal  or  for  its 
mitigation.' 

Section  2.  Ordinary  or  mixed  trains. — The  evil  of 
a  break  of  gauge  (although  then  only  existing  at 
Gloucester)  was  considered  in  this  section  '  to  be  an 
inconvenience  of  a  very  serious  nature  .  .  .  legislative 
interference  is  called  for  to  remove  or  mitigate  such  an 
evil.'  What  a  conclusion !  And  if  this  evil  were 
present  then,  when  the  break  of  gauge  occurred  at 
the  junction  of  two  distinct  and  independent  com- 
panies at  Gloucester,  how  much-  more  frequently  does 
the  necessity  for  changing  carriages  happen  in  travel- 
ling to  and  from  branch  lines,  which  are  owned, 
managed  and  worked  by  the  same  company  as  the 
main  line.  To  be  logical,  the  Commissioners  should 

have  '  called  for  legislative  interference,  requiring  the 

142 


The  Gauge  Commissioners  Report.  143 

companies  to  run  through  carriages  to  and  from  each 
branch  and  the  main  line  by  every  train.'  Nor  could 
they,  with  a  sense  of  justice  under  similar  circum- 
stances, refuse  a  through  carriage  to  any  passenger 
who  had  booked  to  a  station  on  a  '  foreign  line,'  which 
makes  this  conclusion  of  the  Commissioners  a  verit- 
able reductio  ad  absurdum. 

Section  3.  Goods  trains. — Considering  that  at  the 
time  the  experiments  were  made,  and  the  report  pre- 
sented, most  of  the  goods  traffic  was  in  the  hands  of 
railway  agents,  who  did  all  the  work,  and  in  many 
cases  provided  the  waggons,  the  railway  companies 
then  only  hauling  the  trains  of  waggons  from  place  to 
place,  which  (or  the  still  more  simple  purpose  of  pro- 
viding a  railway  only  for  others  to  use)  was  the 
original  intention  for  which  railway  companies  were 
incorporated.  But  the  whole  method  of  dealing  with 
goods  traffic  now  being  long  since  changed,  the  rail- 
way companies  now  doing  the  whole  of  the  work 
themselves,  so  that  under  these  entirely  changed  con- 
ditions the  report  upon  this  sub-section  has  really  but 
little  application  at  the  present  time. 

Section  4.  Conveyance  of  troops. — '  This  is  an- 
other use  of  railways  which  we  have  deemed  it  neces- 
sary to  consider'  The  lieutenant-colonel,  who  was 
one  of  the  Commissioners,  evidently  wished  to  show 
he  had  a  practical  knowledge  of  something,  and  so 
deemed  it  necessary  to  consider  '  something '  they 
were  never  appointed  to  consider ;  and  after  this  Com- 
missioner had  made  this  occasion  to  drag  in  his  per- 
sonal experience,  and  having  heard  the  expert 
evidence  of  such  important  authorities  as  the  Quarter- 
Master  General  of  the  Forces,  and  the  Inspector- 
General  of  Fortifications,  they  found  that  in  time  of 
peace  the  inconvenience  of  a  '  break  of  gauge '  would 
not  amount  to  '  an  evil  of  great  importance,'  but  in 
time  of  war  the  case  would  be  different.  For  a  break  of 
gauge,  when  it  would  be  necessary  for  the  troops  to 
travel  with  their  artillery,  the  delay  caused  by  the 


144      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

break  of  gauge  '  might  expose  the  country  to  a  serious 
danger.'  But  the  artillery  of  to-day  does  not  consist  of 
pocket  pistols,  and  is  not  usually  carried  about  with  the 
troops,  loo-ton  guns  being  a  bit  too  heavy  for  the 
Narrow  Gauge.  Our  coast  defences  would  certainly 
be  in  a  bad  condition  if  they  were  waiting  for  the 
artillery  to  be  delivered  by  the  local  railways  when 
required  for  use. 

Dealing  with  Section  2,  remedies  for  the  evils  of 
a  break  of  ga^lge^  the  following  methods  were  re- 
ported upon: — ' First.  What  may  be  termed  telescopic 
axles  ?  An  arrangement  of  the  wheels  and  axles  of 
carriages  permitting  the  wheels  to  slide  on  the  axle,  so 
as  to  contract  or  extend  the  interval  between  them 
in  such  a  manner  that  they  may  be  adapted  to  either 
of  the  gauges.  Secondly.  A  form  of  truck  adapted  to 
the  Broad  Gauge,  but  carrying  upon  its  upper  surface 
pieces  of  rail  4  feet  8J  inches  asunder,  so  that  a 
Narrow  Gauge  carriage  may  be  run  upon  these  rails 
without  any  disturbance  of  its  wheels.  Thirdly.  A 
method  of  shifting  the  bodies  of  the  carriages  from 
a  platform  and  set  of  wheels  adapted  for  one  gauge  to 
a  different  platform  and  set  of  wheels  adapted  to  the 
other  gauge.  Fourthly.  A  proposal  to  carry  merchan- 
dise and  minerals  in  loose  boxes,  which  may  be  shifted 
from  one  truck  to  another,  and  of  which  one  only 
would  probably  be  carried  upon  a  Narrow  Gauge 
truck,  while  two  would  be  conveyed  on  a  Broad 
Gauge  truck/ 

On  telescopic  axles  they  reported  : — '  In  respect 
to  the  shifting  axles,  the  attendant  would  have 
to  adjust  a  great  many  carriages  in  succession 
(as  there  are  sometimes  a  hundred  waggons  in  a 
goods  train).  The  adjustment  must  be  made  hurriedly 
and  often  in  the  night ;  and  the  attendant's  thoughts 
would  probably  have  been  partly  occupied  with  the 
loading  of  goods  and  other  station  arrangements. 
On  the  score  of  danger,  therefore,  we  think  that 
this  construction  might  be  at  once  abandoned. 


The  Gauge  Commissioners  Report.  145 

With  regard  to  the  second  proposed  remedy,  the 
Commissioners  prefaced  their  answer  with  this  sage 
remark, — '  The  plan  of  placing  a  Narrow  Gauge 
carriage  upon  the  top  of  a  Broad  Gauge  truck  has, 
on  the  face  of  it,  this  obvious  difficulty,  that  a  Broad 
Gauge  carriage  cannot  be  placed  in  the  same  manner 
upon  a  Narrow  Gauge  truck.'  Surely  less  highly 
intelligent  men  than  an  astronomer  royal,  a  lieutenant- 
colonel,  and  a  professor  of  mathematics  could  have 
found  this  out,  without  being  specially  appointed  as 
a  Royal  Commission. 

Third,  shifting  bodies.  This  the  Commissioners 
allowed  to  be  practical,  since  they  could  not  do 
otherwise,  as  the  Broad  Gauge  had  taken  pains  to 
investigate  the  plan  which  was  in  daily  use  in  France, 
and  to  bring  the  same  before  the  Commissioners, 
who  reported  : — '  The  system  of  shifting  the  bodies 
of  carriages  from  road  wheels  to  railway  wheels 
is  practised  successfully  in  France,  where  the  dili- 
gences from  Paris  to  distant  towns,  proceeding  on 
road  wheels  from  the  Messagerie  of  Paris  to  the 
railway  station,  are  carried  on  a  peculiar  railway 
truck  as  far  as  Rouen  and  Orleans,  and  are  then 
again  placed  on  road  wheels  to  continue  their 
journey. 

The  use  of  loose  boxes  for  goods  was  the  last 
method  considered,  and  '  the  result  of  this  experience 
is,  that  in  one  instance  of  a  temporary  character,  where 
the  whole  operation  was  under  the  control  of  one 
engineer,  it  succeeded.'  The  result  of  the  conclusions 
under  this  head  was,  '  That  no  method  has  been 
proposed  to  us  which  is  calculated  to  remedy,  in 
any  important  degree,  the  inconveniences  attending 
a  break  of  gauge.' 

Section  3,  on  uniformity  of  gauge,  sub-divided 
under  headings — (i)  for  safety  ;  (2)  public  accommoda- 
tion and  convenience ;  (3)  comparative  speeds  on  the 
gauges  ;  (4)  comparative  economy. 

For  safety. — No  preference  was  given  to  either 

K 


146      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

gauge,  except  for  trains  running  at  high  speed,  when 
the  Broad  Gauge  was  considered  to  be  the  safer. 

Piiblic  accommodation  and  convenience. — This  sec- 
tion of  the  report  was  generally  in  favour  of  the 
Broad  Gauge,  the  Broad  Gauge  carriages  being  stated 
to  be  more  commodious  and  the  travelling  smoother, 
especially  at  high  speeds.  The  Narrow  Gauge 
was  reported  on  as  more  convenient  for  goods 
traffic. 

Comparative    speed  on    the  gauges.— Here    again 
the  Broad  Gauge  was  considered  decidedly  superior. 
'  We   are   fully  satisfied    that   the  average  speed   on 
the  Great  Western,  both  by  the  express  trains,  and 
by    the   ordinary    trains,    exceeds    the   highest   speed 
of  similiar  trains  on  any  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  lines.' 
A    high    tribute    was    paid    to    the   fairness    of    the 
methods    used   in    the   trials    by    the    Broad    Gauge 
engineers.     '  We  must  observe,  however,  that   while 
the    Great    Western    Company    have    not    altered    in 
any    degree    the   plan    of    their    engines,    the    higher 
velocities    of    the    Narrow    Gauge   lines   have  been 
attained  by  the  introduction  of  a  more  powerful  kind 
of  engine   than  was    employed  at  an    earlier  period, 
and    probably    the    new    engines    now    used    on    the 
Narrow    Gauge  lines    are   as   powerful   as    they   can 
well    be    made,    within    the   limits    of    their    gauge, 
whereas  the    Broad    Gauge  lines  have  still    a  means 
of  obtaining  an  increase  in  the  power  of  their  engines 
and  of  increasing  their  speed.'     How  far  Mr  Gooch 
at  this  time    was  ahead  of  all  other   locomotive    en- 
gineers    is     clearly    shown    in    this    section    of    the 
report,  for  we  read, — '  In  proceeding  to  compare  the 
locomotive    engines,    we    remark,    in   the   first    place, 
that  the  fire-boxes,  boilers,  etc.,  of  the  Narrow  Gauge 
engines    still    possess   a   smaller   evaporating    power 
than    those  of  the    Broad    Gauge    engines,    although 
recent  attempts  have  been  made  to  raise  the  former 
to  the  level  of  the  latter ;    but  those  attempts    have 
not   succeeded ;    and    it   is    indisputable   that,    what- 


The  Gauge  Commissioners  Report.  147 

ever  can  be  done  for  the  Narrow  Gauge  in  this  re- 
spect, can  be  surpassed  on  the  Broad  Gauge.' 

The  report  on  this  section  concluded  with  this 
paragraph  : — 'Impediments  to  maintaining  the  present 
express  speed.  The  chief  of  these  are  : — First.  The 
difficulty  of  arranging  the  trains  where  the  traffic  is 
frequent,  so  that  the  fast  trains  shall  be  entirely  pro- 
tected from  the  chance  of  interfering  with,  or  coming 
into  collision  with,  the  slower  trains,  or  those  that  stop 
at  numerous  stations.  Second.  The  difficulty  of  seeing 
signals,  especially  in  foggy  weather,  in  time  to  enable 
the  engine-driver  to  stop  the  fast  trains.  We  feel  it  a 
duty  to  observe  here  that  the  public  are  mainly  in- 
debted for  the  present  rate  of  speed,  and  the  increased 
accommodation  of  the  railway  carriages,  to  the  genius 
of  Mr  Brunei  and  the  liberality  of  the  Great  Western 
Railway  Company.'  But  the  invention  of  the  block 
system  of  signalling  and  continuous  brakes  have  entirely 
done  away  with  these  impediments.  The  engineering 
improvements  and  scientific  developments  of  later 
years  have  completely  removed  all  the  objections  of  the 
Commissioners.  The  various  obstructions  which  they 
considered  fatal  to  farther  advancement,  or  precluding 
of  amelioration,  have  been  swept  aside  and  entirely 
overcome  by  the  forward  march  of  applied  science. 

Had  the  Commission  taken  place  thirty  or  even 
twenty  years  later,  one  half  of  the  report  would 
not  have  been  written,  for  the  deductions  and  conclu- 
sions drawn  by  the  Commissioners  on  the  results  that 
would  accrue  from  the  various  suppositional  premises 
would  at  this  later  period  have  been  found  to  be  en- 
tirely incorrect,  or  else  the  conditions  under  which  the 
conclusions  were  arrived  at  would  have  been  so  com- 
pletely changed  that  such  speculations  would  have 
been  unnecessary  in  the  face  of  various  improvements 
which  had  in  the  meantime  been  developed,  and  which 
were  at  this  later  period  in  daily  use  on  railways. 

Comparative  economy. — The  conclusion  under  this 
head  of  the  report  was  meant  to  be  entirely  in  favour 


148      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

of  the  Narrow  Gauge,  and  although  it  was  proved  that 
the  Great  Western  Railway  worked  their  locomotives 
more  economically  than  the  London  and  "Birmingham, 
yet  the  Commissioners,  by  a  superficial  but  ingenious 
method  of  calculating  what  it  would  cost  the  Great 
Western  Railway  as  a  Narrow  Gauge  line,  concluded 
that  the  Narrow  Gauge  was  more  economical.  The 
Broad  and  Narrow  Gauge  locomotive  power  is  com- 
pared thus  : — '  The  London  and  Birmingham  Company 
have  from  the  commencement  persevered  in  the  use  of 
light  four-wheeled  engines,  while  the  Great  Western, 
availing  themselves  of  the  facilities  their  gauge  affords, 
have  adopted  large  and  powerful  engines,  which  are 
worked  at  nearly  the  same  cost  per  mile  as  the  former ; 
and  if  such  engines  as  those  on  the  London  and  Bir- 
mingham line  were  essential  to  the  Narrow  Gauge, 
the  question  as  to  the  economy  of  working  might  be  at 
once  decided  in  favour  of  the  Broad  Gauge.' 

The  general  conclusions  of  the  Commissioners  were 
— ''First.  That  as  regards  the  safety,  accommodation  and 
convenience  of  the  passengers,  no  decided  preference  is 
due  to  either  gauge,  but  that  on  the  Broad  Gauge  the 
motion  is  generally  more  easy  at  high  velocities. 
Secondly.  That,  in  respect  of  speed,  we  consider  the 
advantages  are  with  the  Broad  Gauge ;  but  we  think 
the  public  safety  would  be  endangered  in  employing 
the  greater  capabilities  of  the  Broad  Gauge  much  be- 
yond their  present  use,  except  on  roads  more  consoli- 
dated and  more  substantially  and  perfectly  formed 
than  those  of  the  existing  .lines.  Thirdly.  That  in  the 
commercial  case  of  the  transport  of  goods,  we  believe 
the  Narrow  Gauge  to  possess  the  greater  convenience 
and  to  be  the  more  suited  to  the  general  traffic  of  the 
country.  Fourthly.  That  the  Broad  Gauge  involves  the 
greater  outlay,  and  that  we  have  not  been  able  to  dis- 
cover either  in  the  maintenance  of  way,  in  the  cost  of 
locomotive  power,  or  in  the  other  annual  expenses, 
any  adequate  reduction  to  compensate  for  the  addi- 
tional first  cost.' 


The  Gauge  Commissioners  Report.  149 

In  some  further  remarks  the  Commissioners  state, — 
'  We  are  desirous,  however,  of  guarding  ourselves  from 
being  supposed  to  express  an  opinion  that  the  dimen- 
sion of  4  feet  8|-  inches  is  in  all  respects  the  most 
suited  for  the  general  objects  of  the  country.  Some 
of  the  engineers  who  have  been  examined  by  us  have 
given  it  as  their  opinion  that  5  feet  would  be  the  best 
dimension  for  a  railway  gauge  ;  others  have  suggested 
5  feet  3  inches,  5  feet  6  inches,  and  even  6  feet.'  The 
report  concluded  with  the  following  recommendations  : 
— '  First.  That  the  gauge  of  4  feet  8|-  inches  be  de- 
clared by  the  legislature  to  be  the  gauge  to  be  used  in 
all  public  railways  now  under  construction,  or  here- 
after to  be  constructed  in  Great  Britain.  Second. 
That,  unless  by  the  consent  of  thejegislature,  it  should 
not  be  permitted  to  the  directors  of  any  railway  com- 
pany to  alter  the  gauge  of  such  railway.  Third.  That 
in  order  to  complete  the  general  chain  of  Narrow 
Gauge  communication  from  the  North  of  England  to 
the  Southern  Coast,  any  suitable  measure  should  be 
promoted  to  form  a  Narrow  Gauge  link  from  Oxford 
to  Reading,  and  thence  to  Basingstoke,  or  by  any 
shorter  route  connecting  the  proposed  Rugby 
and  Oxford  line  with  the  South  Western  Railway. 
Fourth.  That  as  any  junction  to  be  formed  with  a  Broad 
Gauge  line  would  involve  a  break  of  gauge,  provided 
our  first  recommendation  be  adopted,  great  commercial 
convenience  would  be  obtained  by  reducing  the  gauge 
of  the  present  Broad  Gauge  lines  to  the  Narrow  Gauge 
of  4  feet  8^-  inches  ;  and  we  therefore  think  it  de- 
sirable that  some  equitable  means  should  be  found  of 
producing  such  entire  uniformity  of  gauge,  or  of 
adopting  such  other  course  as  would  admit  of  the 
Narrow  Gauge  carriages  passing  without  interruption 
or  danger  along  the  Broad  Gauge  lines.' 

The  cost  of  the  Gauge  Commissioners  to  the 
country  was  ^571,  ios.,  and  the  result,  like  that  of 
most  other  Royal  Commissions,  was  a  long  report, 
with  various  recommendations,  which,  as  usual,  were, 


150     A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

or  were  not,  acted  upon  by  those  concerned  as  was 
the  more  convenient  upon  certain  occasions. 

The  Broad  Gauge  party  were  greatly  surprised  at 
the  text  of  the  report,  as  we  have  already  stated  that 
they  considered  that  the  whole  of  the  events  and 
evidence  had  tended  directly  and  indirectly  in  their 
favour,  and  therefore  the  unexpected  rebuff  thus  ad- 
ministered to  the  Great  Western  Railway  was  the 
more  severely  felt.  But  never  was  a  presum- 
ably defeated  side  so  cleverly  and  fearlessly  led 
and  defended  as  was  the  Broad  Gauge  party  by 
the  '  Dauntless  three.'  For  with  all  the  other  rail- 
ways, as  well  as  those  indirectly  connected  with  the 
railway  world,  against  them,  and  these  strengthened 
by  the  report  of  a  Government  Commission ;  they 
had  against  this  solid  phalanx,  for  the  time  being, 
fickle  popular  opinion  on  their  side,  for  the  public 
had  witnessed  the  plucky  combat,  and  partly  be- 
cause the  Broad  Gauge  was  fighting  against  such 
tremendous  odds,  partly  because  of  the  superior 
accommodation  provided  by  the  Great  Western 
Railway  in  the  matter  of  commodious  and  comfortable 
carriages,  quick  trains  and  smooth  travelling,  but  chiefly 
because  many  of  the  public  had  studied  the  question 
from  an  impartial  standpoint  and  had  arrived  at  the 
definite  conclusion  that  the  Broad  Gauge  was  im- 
mensely superior  to  the  Narrow  in  very  many  respects. 

So  the  Broad  Gauge  leaders,  undismayed  by  the 
tenor  of  the  report,  continued  the  fight.  The  first 
thing  Messrs  Brunei,  Saunders  and  Gooch  did,  was 
to  prepare  a  reply  to  the  report  of  the  Commission- 
ers, which  was  published  in  the  middle  of  March — a 
most  expeditious  literary  production  considering  the 
voluminousness  of  the  work  and  the  necessity  for 
accuracy  of  detail,  dealing  as  it  did  with  all  phases 
of  the  gauge  controversy.  The  book  was  entitled, 
'  Observations  on  the  Report  of  the  Gauge  Com- 
missioners presented  to  Parliament,'  by  the  promoters 
of  the  Broad  Gauge.  It  was  a  folio  publication, 


The  Gauge  Commissioners  Report.  151 

consisting  of  fifty  closely  printed  pages,  illustrated  with 
plans  and  maps,  the  price  being  is.  It  appeared  to 
be  compiled  in  a  half-humorous  spirit,  the  compilers 
hoping  by  flippancy  to  cast  opprobrium  on  the  report. 
Mr  Gooch  thus  describes  its  preparation  : — '  We  had 
some  good  fun  over  it.  We  met  at  Mr  Saunders's 
house  for  a  few  hours  each  day  until  it  was  complete, 
and  we  of  course  proved  that  the  Commissioners  had 
come  to  quite  a  wrong  conclusion.' 

In  the  conclusion  of  the  Observations  the  writers 
give  a  summary  of  the  points  they  considered  to  have 
been  proved  in  the  controversy,  viz.  :— 

'  That  the  question  of  "  break  of  gauge  "  originated 
as  a  cloak  to  a  monopoly.' 

'  That  even  if  the  gauge  were  uniform,  through 
trains  would  be  impracticable.' 

'  That  the  transfer  would  be  of  little  inconvenience. 
That  any  advantage  of  small  waggons  was  applicable 
to  the  Broad  Gauge,  but  that  the  advantage  of  large 
waggons  was  not  applicable  to  the  Narrow.' 

'  That  the  competition  between  the  two  systems 
was  advantageous.' 

'  That  the  final  recommendations  of  the  Com- 
missioners were  at  variance  with  their  separate 
conclusions.' 

'  That  it  would  be  unjust  to  refuse  to  allow  the 
Broad  Gauge  to  be  laid  down  on  lines  for  which  it 
was  already  sanctioned  by  Parliament.' 

'  That  the  inquiry  before  the  Commissioners  was 
not  properly  conducted,  and  that  consequently  no 
legislation  ought  to  be  founded  on  it.' 

'  That  the  data  published  by  the  Commissioners 
were  often  wrong,  and  in  some  cases  led  to  the 
reverse  of  their  conclusions.' 

'  That  greater  economy  was  proved  on  the  Broad 
Gauge.' 

'  That  the  Broad  Gauge  was  superior  in  the 
points  of  safety,  speed  and  conveyance  of  troops.' 

'  That  the  experiments  made  in  the  presence  of  the 


152      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Commissioners  had  demonstrated  beyond  all  con- 
troversy the  complete  success  of  the  Broad  Gauge 
system.' 

For  these  and  other  reasons,  a  strong  protest 
was  made  against  any  legislative  interference  with 
the  Broad  Gauge  system.  A  reply  was  published 
to  these  arguments,  and  during  the  controversy  a 
large  number  of  pamphlets,  articles  and  other  publica- 
tions appeared  on  both  sides. 

Mr  Brunei's  views  on  the  whole  question  about 
this  time  are  concisely  expressed  in  the  following 
letter,  written  to  a  friend  in  France,  who  asked  for 
information  on  the  subject  of  the  Broad  Grauge  :— 

'  August  1845. 

'  I    am  just   off  for  Italy,   but  write  a  few  hasty 

lines    in    reply   to   Mons.    's  queries,   and   which 

you  must  scold  him  for  not  addressing  direct  to  me. 
Nobody  can  answer  such  questions  but  myself,  and 
I  am  compelled  to  be  very  brief. 

*  In  answer  to  the  first  I  send  a  drawing.  Secondly, 
I  see  no  reason  why  the  ordinary  construction  of 
rails,  chairs  and  sleepers  should  not  be  equally 
applicable  to  the  wide  gauge  as  to  the  narrow.  I 
have  used  them  occasionally.  I  should  think  75  Ibs. 
per  yard  heavy  enough  for  any  purposes.  Thirdly, 
within  all  ordinary  limits,  certainly  in  curves  of  more 
than  250  metres  (i  2 \  chains)  radius,  the  gauge  does 
not  affect  the  question  of  curves.  The  effect  of  a 
curve  of  larger  radius  than  this  appears,  both  as  from 
much  observation  as  from  theory,  to  arise  merely 
from  two  causes,  the  one  centrifugal  force,  which  is 
easily  neutralised,  and  is  independent  of  gauge  ;  the 
other  from  the  axles  not  being  able  to  travel  in  the 
direction  of  the  radius,  and  consequently  the  wheels 
not  running  in  a  tangent  to  the  curve.  This  also 
is  unaffected  by  the  width  of  gauge.  Practically  I 
believe  the  conditions  are  not  altered.  Fourthly, 
the  expenses  of  construction  are  not  dependent  on 


The  Gauge  Commissioners  Report.  153 

the  breadth  of  gauge  unless  the  total  width  allowed 
for  the  loads  or  carriages  is  thereby,  or  for  other 
reasons,  increased,  which  is  not  a  necessary  con- 
sequence of  a  7  foot  gauge.  The  wide  gauge  could 
be  laid  upon  the  London  and  Birmingham  Railway 
without  altering  any  of  the  works  ;  but  in  constructing 
the  Great  Western  Railway  I  thought  it  desirable  to 
provide  for  carrying  larger  bodies,  and  I  placed  the 
centres  of  the  two  railways  13  feet  apart  instead  of 
1 1  feet,  and  therefore  my  railway  became  4  feet 
wider  in  total  width.  The  increased  cost  of  this, 
including  the  cost  of  land,  will  vary  from  ^300  to 
^"500  per  mile.  Fifthly,  the  increase  of  width  will 
not  increase  the  weight  of  an  engine  (of  the  same 
power)  500  Ibs.,  but  I  avail  myself  of  the  larger 
width  to  get  more  powerful  engines,  and  they  weigh, 
with  water  in  the  boiler,  18  to  21  tons.  I  send  a 
drawing  of  one;  the  stroke  is  18  inches.  Sixthly, 
the  passenger  carriages  are  all  on  six  wheels,  and 
excessively  strong ;  at  present  the  frame-work  of 
carriages  and  the  whole  of  the  waggons  are  made  of 
iron.  The  first-class  carriages  weigh,  with  wheels, 
etc.,  7  tons  16  cwt.  (17,472  Ibs.),  and  carry  thirty-two 
passengers.  Second-class  about  the  same  weight, 
and  hold  seventy-two.  Seventhly  and  eighthly,  the 
comparison  being  on  different  railways,  under  different 
managements,  and  totally  different  circumstances,  no 
strictly  correct  comparative  results  can  be  given  ;  and, 
of  course,  the  most  opposite  opinions  are  entertained 
and  expressed.  I  believe  we  travel  much  quicker 
at  the  same  cost,  and  with  more  ease,  and  certainly 
the  wear  and  tear  of  engines  and  carriages  is  very 
much  less  with  us  than  with  the  other  lines  ;  but  for 
the  reasons  above  stated  it  cannot  be  made  matter 
of  exact  proof,  but  remains  "  matter  of  opinion." ' 

The  Great  Western  Railway  Board  prepared 
another  document,  entitled  Additional  Observations, 
and  also  sent  a  letter  to  the  Lords  of  the  Committee 


154      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

of  Privy  Council  for  Trade,  suggesting  that  certain 
districts  should  be  marked  out  for  the  7  feet  gauge, 
and  that  railways  on  that  gauge  should  not  be  con- 
structed in  any  other  part. 

On  6th  June  1846,  the  Lords  Committee 
presented  their  report,  which  was  in  favour  of  the 
South  Wales  Railway  being  constructed  on  the 
Broad  Gauge,  as  sanctioned  by  its  Act,  so  that 
the  through  route  to  and  from  London  to  Milford 
Haven  for  the  South  of  Ireland  traffic  might  not  suffer 
from  a  break  of  gauge.  The  Lords  concluded  their 
report  by  the  following  suggestions  : — '  i.  That  no  line 
shall  hereafter  be  formed  on  any  other  than  the  4  feet 
8J  inch  gauge,  excepting  lines  to  the  south  of  the  exist- 
ing line  from  London  to  Bristol,  and  excepting  small 
branches  of  a  few  miles  in  length  in  immediate  con- 
nection with  the  Great  Western  Railway,  but  that  no 
such  lines,  as  above  excepted,  shall  be  sanctioned  by 
Parliament  unless  a  special  report  shall  have  been 
made  by  the  Committee  on  the  Bill  setting  forth  the 
reasons  which  have  led  the  Committee  to  advise  that 
such  line  should  be  formed  on  any  other  than  the  4  feet 
8|-  inch  gauge.  2.  That,  unless  by  the  consent  of  the 
legislature,  it  shall  not  be  permitted  to  the  directors 
of  any  railway  company  to  alter  the  gauge  of  such 
railway.  3.  That,  in  order  to  complete  the  general 
chain  of  Narrow  Gauge  communication  from  the  North 
of  England  to  the  Southern  Coasts,  and  to  the  port 
of  Bristol,  any  suitable  measures  should  be  promoted 
to  form  a  Narrow  Gauge  link  from  Gloucester  to  Bristol, 
and  also  from  Oxford  to  Basingstoke,  or  by  any  shorter 
route  connecting  the  proposed  Rugby  and  Oxford 
line  with  the  South-Western  Railway.  4.  That  the 
South  Wales  line  and  its  branches  to  Monmouth  and 
Hereford  should  be  permitted  to  be  formed  on  the 
Broad  Guage.  as  sanctioned  by  their  Act.  5.  That 
the  Rugby  and  Oxford  line,  and  the  Oxford,  Worcester 
and  Wolverhampton  line,  should  be  permitted  to  be 
formed  on  the  Broad  Gauge,  as  sanctioned  by  their 


The  Gauge  Commissioners  Report.  155 

Acts  ;  that  the  Lords  of  the  Committee  of  Privy  Council 
for  Trade  shall  exercise  the  powers  conferred  upon 
them  by  the  several  Acts,  and  shall  require  that  addi- 
tional Narrow  Gauge  rails  shall  forthwith  be  laid  down 
from  Rugby  to  Oxford,  and  from  Wolverhampton  to 
the  junction  with  the  Birmingham  and  Gloucester  line  ; 
and  that  if  it  should  hereafter  appear  that  there  is  a 
traffic  requiring  accommodation  on  the  Narrow  Gauge 
from  the  Staffordshire  districts  to  the  Southern  Coast 
any  suitable  measure  shall  be  promoted  by  Parliament 
to  form  a  Narrow  Gauge  link  from  Oxford  to  the  line 
of  the  Birmingham  and  Gloucester  Railway. 

The  result  of  this  report  was  the  '  Guage  Regula- 
tion Bill,'  which  was  introduced  in  the  House  of  Lords 
and  duly  passed ;  it  was  then  sent  down  to  the 
Commons,  where  it  was  read  a  third  time  on  I2th 
August  1846,  and  duly  received  the  royal  assent.  The 
preamble  sets  forth  that  '  it  is  expedient  to  define  the 
gauge  on  which  railways  shall  be  constructed.'  Clause 

1  commences  as  follows  : — '  That  after  the  passing  of 
this  Act,  it  shall  not  be  lawful   (except  as  hereinafter 
excepted)  to  construct  any  railway  for  the  conveyance 
of  passengers  on  any  other  gauge  than  4  feet  8^  inches 
in  Great  Britain,  and  5  feet  3  inches  in  Ireland.'     Clause 

2  excepts    certain    railways,    viz.,    'those    constructed 
under  Acts  in  which  the  gauge   is  specially  defined, 
railways  then  in  course  of   construction   in  Cornwall, 
Devon,  Dorset  and  Somerset,  the  Uxbridge  branch  of 
the  Great  Western,  the   Maidenhead  and   High  Wy- 
combe  branch,  and  any  railway  which  is  in  its  whole 
length    southward    of  the    Great    Western    Railway.' 
Clause  3  authorises  '  the  South  Wales  Railway,  its  ex- 
tensions, branches  and  connections,  and  also  a  railway 
for  making  a  communication  between  the  city  of  Bristol 
and  the  South  Wales  Railway,  and  a  branch  therefrom 
to  be  constructed  on  the  7  foot  gauge.'     Clause  4  states 
'  that  it  shall  not  be  lawful  after  the  passing  of  this  Act 
to  alter  the  gauge  of  any  railway  used  for  the  convey- 
ance of  passengers.'     Clause   5   excludes  the   Oxford 


156      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

and  Rugby,  and  the  Oxford,  Rugby  and  Wolver- 
hampton  Railway  from  the  provisions  of  this  Act. 
Clause  6  '  that  if  any  railway  used  for  the  conveyance 
of  passengers  shall  be  constructed  and  altered  contrary 
to  the  provision  of  this  Act,  the  company  authorised  to 
construct  the  railway,  or  in  the  case  of  any  demise  or 
lease  of  such  railway,  the  company  for  the  time  being 
having  the  control  of  the  works  of  such  railway  shall 
forfeit  £10  for  every  mile  of  such  railway  which  shall 
be  so  unlawfully  constructed  or  altered  during  every 
day  that  the  same  shall  continue  so  unlawfully  con- 
structed or  altered ;  and  in  estimating  the  amount  of 
any  such  penalty,  any  distance  less  than  i  mile  shall 
be  estimated  as  a  mile.'  Clause  7  declares  that  rail- 
ways constructed  contrary  to  the  Act  may  be  abated. 
Clause  8  enacts  '  that  all  penalties  under  this  Act,  and 
the  amount  of  cost  and  charges  of  abating  any  such 
railway,  and  restoring  the  site  thereof,  as  aforesaid, 
may  be  recovered  from  the  company  liable  to  pay 
and  make  good  the  same,'  etc. 

But  the  Great  Western  Railway  obtained  Par- 
liamentary sanction  to  alter  the  gauge  of  their  line 
as  long  ago  as  1866,  so  that  there  is  no  chance  of 
an  'informer'  recovering  the  penalty  of  £10  per  mile 
per  day. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE    PARLIAMENTARY    BATTLE    CONTINUED. 

IN  1846  the  Birmingham  and  Oxford  Junction  Rail- 
way obtained  an  Act  to  construct  a  line  from  Fenny 
Compton  (on  the  Oxford  and  Rugby  line — the  Act 
for  which  was  obtained  in  the  previous  Session)  to 
Birmingham,  42^  miles  in  length.  By  the  passing  of 
this  Act,  not  only  did  the  Broad  Gauge  obtain  -  an 
entrance  into  Birmingham,  but  an  alternate  route  was 
provided  between  that  town  and  London  as  well. 
This  line  had  been  proposed  a  few  years  previously 
by  the  Grand  Junction  Railway,  when  they  were  at 
war  with  the  London  and  Birmingham  ;  but  at  the 
time  this  Act  was  obtained  these  two  Narrow  Gauge 
lines  were  in  process  of  amalgamation,  and  therefore, 
under  the  peculiar  circumstances,  no  very  strenuous 
opposition  could  be  offered  by  either  of  these  com- 
panies, although  the  London  and  Birmingham  opposed 
the  measure  by  every  indirect  way  possible.  By  this 
Act,  incorporating  the  Birmingham  and  Oxford  Junc- 
tion Railway,  the  shareholders  were  empowered  to 
lease  their  line  to  the  Great  Western  Railway  if  three- 
fifths  of  the  shareholders  were  in  favour  of  doing  so. 
This  clause  presented  an  opportunity  to  the  newly- 
formed  London  and  North  Western  Railway  to  en- 
deavour to  obtain  possession  of  this  competing  line, 
and,  if  successful  in  so  doing,  to  prevent  the  competi- 
tion and  loss  of  traffic  that  would  take  place  by  the 
opening  of  a  rival  line.  The  Directors  of  the  London 
and  North  Western  Railway  lost  no  time,  but  com- 
menced to  purchase  as  many  of  the  shares  of  the 


158      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Raihvay. 

Birmingham   and   Oxford    Junction    Railway  as  they 
could  possibly  obtain, 

Besides  the  Birmingham  and  Oxford  Junction 
Railway,  with  a  capital  of  ,£1,000,000,  there  was 
the  Birmingham,  Wolverhampton  and  Dudley  Rail- 
way, 14^  miles  long  (which  also  obtained  its 
Act  in  1846),  with  a  capital  of  ,£700,000,  thus  mak- 
ing the  total  capital  of  the  undertakings  ,£1,700,000. 
Both  of  these  the  Great  Western  Railway  agreed  to 
purchase  at  a  premium  of  51^-  per  cent. ;  but  to  prevent 
this  arrangement  being  carried  out,  those  shareholders 
who  held  shares  on  behalf  of  the  London  and  North 
Western  Railway  presented  a  petition  to  that  company 
asking  it  to  purchase  the  undertaking,  which  the 
London  and  North  Western  Railway  agreed  to  do 
at  a  premium  of  75  per  cent.  This  better  offer  made 
some  of  the  genuine  shareholders  waver,  but  since 
they  had  already  ratified  the  agreement  entered  into 
by  their  Directors  to  sell  to  the  Great  Western  Rail- 
way, there  was  no  pretext  for  their  vacillation,  except 
the  hope  of  obtaining  the  better  price  offered  by  the 
London  and  North  Western  Railway  for  the  Birming- 
ham and  Oxford  line. 

We  now  come  to  one  of  the  most  extra- 
ordinary proceedings  ever  enacted  in  the  annals 
of  railway  meetings.  There  were  twelve  Directors 
of  the  Birmingham  and  Oxford  Junction  Rail- 
way, and  the  London  and  North  Western  portion 
of  the  shareholders  had  a  special  meeting  called  to 
raise  the  number  of  Directors  to  eighteen.  This  pro- 
position was  duly  carried  out — the  six  new  ones  being 
in  favour  of  selling  to  the  London  and  North  Western  ; 
and,  at  the  general  meeting,  held  on  I3th  March  1847, 
four  of  the  old  Directors  should  have  resigned,  and  the 
London  and  North  Western  party  had  four  more 
ready  to  take  their  place.  By  this  means  a  majority 
on  the  Board  would  have  been  obtained  who  were 
favourable  to  rescinding  the  sale  to  the  Great  Western 
Railway,  and  accepting  the  offer  of  the  London  and 


The  Parliamentary  Battle  continued.  159 

North  Western  Railway ;  but  the  Broad  Gauge 
Directors  refused  to  withdraw,  and  the  case  was 
brought  before  Parliament,  where  it  was  discovered 
that  the  London  and  North  Western  Railway  held 
40,000  of  the  50,000  shares  constituting  the  capital  of 
the  company.  The  House  of  Lords  appointed  a 
Committee  of  five  to  inquire  into  the  whole  facts  of 
the  case ;  but,  after  a  number  of  sittings,  the  House 
agreed  to  defer  acting  on  the  report  of  the  Committee 
until  judgment  had  been  given  in  the  various  legal 
proceedings  then  being  fought  out  in  the  Law 
Courts. 

In  February  1848,  the  Great  Western  Railway 
obtained  a  final  judgment  in  their  favour,  confirming 
the  original  lease  to  them,  and  declaring  the  six  extra 
Directors  elected  by  the  London  and  North  Western 
nominees  on  i3th  March  1847  to  have  been  illegally 
elected.  But,  in  the  meantime,  the  Narrow  Gauge 
had  gained  a  great  concession  by  obtaining  Parlia- 
mentary powers  to  have  the  Narrow  Gauge  as  well 
as  Broad  Gauge  laid  down  on  the  Birmingham  and 
Oxford  Junction  Railway.  This  part  of  the  Gauge 
contest  is  dealt  with  in  the  next  chapter  (Mixed  Gauge). 
The  Great  Western  Railway,  having  been  successful 
in  the  law  suit,  immediately  proceeded  with  a  Bill 
authorising  them  to  purchase  the  Birmingham  and 
Oxford  Junction  Railway  at  ^30,  53.  for  each  ^20 
share.  This  Bill  was  duly  passed ;  when  first  before 
the  House,  a  meeting  of  the  shareholders  of  the 
Birmingham  and  Oxford  Junction  Railway  was  called, 
and  the  shareholders  continued  to  meet  almost  daily 
for  several  months,  until  the  final  result  was 
known. 

Having  thus  chronicled  the  fight  between  the  gauges 
in  the  north,  we  now  proceed  to  narrate  the  perhaps 
more  outrageous  and  underhand  conduct  of  the  Narrow 
Gauge  party  in  the  West  of  England,  in  connection 
with  the  Exeter  and  Crediton  Railway,  with  which, 
despite  the  shameful  and  dishonourable  tactics  of  the 


160      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Narrow  Gauge,  the  Broad  Gauge  for  a  time  was  again 
victorious.  The  Exeter  and  Crediton  Railway  Com- 
pany was  incorporated  in  1845  for  the  construction  of 
a  line  from  Cowley  Bridge  (Exeter),  on  the  Bristol 
and  Exeter  Railway,  to  Crediton,  a  length  of  6  miles. 
The  line  was  to  be  worked  by  the  Bristol  and  Exeter 
Railway  for  a  percentage  of  the  receipts ;  but  the 
London  and  South  Western  Railway  had  their  eyes 
on  the  line,  and  saw  it  might  become  useful  to  them  in 
after  years  as  part  of  a  through  route  to  North  Devon, 
so  they  commenced  buying  up  the  shares  in  the  ap- 
proved Narrow  Gauge  style,  and,  on  i/th  February 
1847,  a  special  meeting  was  called  to  'consider  a  pro- 
position made  by  the  Taw  Vale  to  lease  the  Exeter 
and  Crediton  in  perpetuity  on  the  following  terms  :— 
5  per  cent,  to  be  paid  by  the  Taw  Vale  on  amount 
of  paid-up  capital,  the  profits  exceeding  5  per  cent, 
up  to  a  \  per  cent.,  and  when  exceeding  5^  per  cent., 
the  surplus  to  be  divided  equally  ;  the  profits  to  be 
estimated  after  deducting  one-third  for  the  working 
expenses,  and  the  lease  to  be  guaranteed  by  the  South 
Western  Company. 

This  proposition  was  a  great  surprise  to 
those  original  shareholders  who  remained  in  the 
Company,  and  who  naturally  considered  their  line 
as  a  protege  of  the  Bristol  and  Exeter  Railway. 
No  decision  could  be  come  to,  and  the  meeting  was 
adjourned.  This  meeting  was  held  on  i2th  April,  but 
in  the  interim  every  exertion  was  made  to  get  the  line 
opened,  and  Mr  Buller,  with  the  sanction  of  the 
majority  of  the  Directors,  entered  into  an  agreement 
with  the  contractor  to  supply  the  plant  and  work  the 
traffic  on  the  intended  opening.  The  line  was  not, 
however,  opened  ;  for,  when  all  was  ready,  the  Taw 
Vale  party  obtained  an  injunction  from  the  Vice- 
Chancellor  to  restrain  the  Directors  from  opening  the 
line,  from  completing  the  junction  with  the  Bristol  and 
Exeter  line  at  Cowley  Bridge,  or  from  entering  into 
any  agreement  to  work  or  lease  it  on  the  Broad 


The  Parliamentary  Battle  continued.  161 

Gauge  to  the  prejudice  of  the  proposed  agreement 
with  the  Taw  Vale  Company. 

We  will  give  an  account  of  the  extraordinary 
proceedings  of  this  meeting,  extracted  from  the 
columns  of  a  newspaper  of  that  time.  '  Mr  Thorne 
(one  of  the  Directors  appointed  by  the  Taw  Vale 
shareholders)  moved  that  the  Directors  should  be 
reduced  to  six,  and  that  the  four  to  be  turned  out 
should  be  Messrs  Duller,  Brown  (Deputy-Chairman  of 
the  Bristol  and  Exeter  Company),  Fripp  and  Bastard. 
Mr  Younge  seconded  the  motion.  The  Chairman 
replied  very  fully  to  the  charges  made  against  him. 
He  reverted  to  the  change  in  the  proprietary,  and 
remarked  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  tempt- 
ing offers  of  money  which  had  -been  made  to  the 
original  shareholders  to  part  with  their  shares,  he  was 
convinced  they  would  have  felt  it  imperrtive  to  con- 
firm the  lease  to  the  Bristol  and  Exeter  Company  ; 
and,  unless  different  principles  than  those  of  honour 
—which  regulated  individuals — were  to  regulate  com- 
panies, the  agreement  with  that  company  was  as  bind- 
ing as  any  agreement  ever  framed  between  parties  able 
to  contract.  The  question  of  law  became  the  subject 
of  discussion.  Mr  Wilkinson  (solicitor  to  the  Taw 
Vaje)  read  the  opinions  of  Mr  Sergeant  Wrangham, 
and  Mr  Rowe  and  the  Attorney  -  General  and  the 
Hon.  Mr  Talbot,  conjointly,  in  favour  of  the  share- 
holders having  power  to  remove  the  Directors  down 
to  six,  and  to  elect  who  should  be  removed  ;  and  Mr 
Pring  (the  solicitor  to  the  Crediton  Company)  read  the 
opinion  of  Mr  Sergeant  Kinglake  in  support  of  the 
Directors'  view,  that  it  was  illegal  to  diminish  the 
number  of  Directors  except  at  the  ordinary  half-yearly 
meeting,  and  that  the  parties  to  retire  were  subject  for 
ballot  at  the  Board. 

The  Chairman  then  refused  to  put  a  resolution 
which  he  was  deliberately  advised  was  illegal. 

Mr  Thorne  (the  mover)  then  said  he  must  take 
the  liberty  of  putting  it  himself.  (Confusion.) 


1 62      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

The  Chairman  would  not  allow  any  other  person 
to  put  the  resolution  until  he  had  left  the  chair.  (Great 
disorder.)  Mr  Thorne  put  the  resolution. 

A  number  of  hands  were  held  up  amid  the  utmost 
confusion,  above  which  were  heard  the  voices  of  the 
shareholders,  "  You  have  no  right  to  call  for  a  show 
of  hands."  "We  didn't  hold  up  our  hands,  because  we 
wouldn't  recognise  the  thing." 

The  Chairman  said  he  had  never  witnessed  any- 
thing so  disorderly,  and  called  on  any  gentleman  to 
propose  a  resolution. 

Mr  Wilkinson. — "  Having  taken  the  vote  of  the 
meeting,  you  are  no  longer  a  Director,  and  there- 
fore I  tell  you  you  have  no  right  to  hold  that  chair." 
(Uproar.) 

The  Chairman. — "  I  shall  not  leave  the  chair  until 
the  meeting  is  over ;  I  shall  dissolve  the  meeting 
first."  (Great  disorder.) 

Mr  Wilkinson. — "You  not  being  in  the  chair,  I 
beg  to  move  that  Mr  Thorne  take  the  chair." 

Mr  E.  Cooper  (Chairman  of  the  Taw  Vale) 
seconded  it. 

Mr  Wilkinson  put  his  motion  in  the  same  way  as 
Mr  Thorne  had,  and  the  same  uproar  ensued.  It 
was  carried  unanimously. 

Mr  Thorne  asked  the  Chairman  if  he  would  give 
up  his  seat. 

Mr  Buller.— "  Certainly  not." 

Mr  Cooper  said  they  would  consider  Mr  Thorne  in 
the  chair. 

Mr  Buller. — "  If  any  gentleman  has  any  motion  to 
put,  I  am  ready  to  hear  him.  There  being  no  further 
business,  I  dissolve  the  meeting." 

The  Chairman  left  the  chair. 

Mr  Brown  sprang  forward  and  caught  up  the 
minute-book  which  was  lying  on  the  table.  Mr 
Thorne  immediately  collared  and  grappled  with  Mr 
Brown,  and  Mr  Bastard  clung  to  the  skirts  of  Mr 
Thome's  coat.  At  this  time  a  rush  was  made  by  the 


The  Parliamentary  Battle  continued.  163 

Directors'  party,  and  the  book  was  thrown  by  Mr 
Brown  on  the  floor  and  passed  to  the  Secretary  (Mr 
Hartnoll).  Surrounded  by  the  whole  body  of  share- 
holders and  Directors  composing'  the  minority,  the 
Secretary  was  escorted  from  the  room,  with  the  book, 
amid  a  scene  of  unparalleled  disorder. 

Mr  Thorne  then  took  the  chair,  and  a  motion  for 
affixing  the  Corporate  Seal  of  the  Company  to  the 
agreement  for  a  lease  to  the  Taw  Vale  Company  was 
unanimously  carried  ;  but  here  arose  another  difficulty, 
they  had  not  possession  of  the  seal. 

Mr  Cooper  and  Mr  Woolmer  (two  Directors)  went 
to  the  private  office  of  the  Secretary  to  demand  it, 
but  the  door  was  locked  and  no  one  there.  Another 
resolution  to  restrain  the  Directors  from  carrying  on 
the  works  on  the  Broad  Gauge,  or  opening  the  line, 
or  incurring  any  further  expense  in  completing  the 
junction  with  the  Bristol  and  Exeter  at  Cowley  Bridge 
was  also  carried.  A  resolution,  calling  on  the  Secre- 
tary to  lend  his  assistance  in  carrying  the  foregoing 
resolutions  into  effect  was  passed.' 

The  result  of  this  quarrel  was  that  the  Narrow 
Gauge  party  obtained  an  injunction  restraining  the 
opening  of  the  line  on  the  Broad  Gauge,  although 
it  was  quite  ready  for  working.  After  being  left 
unused  for  a  year  or  so,  the  Broad  Gauge  was 
taken  up  and  the  Narrow  Gauge  laid  down  in  its 
place.  The  line  now  consisted  of  a  length  of  6 
miles  of  Narrow  Gauge,  joining  a  Broad  Gauge  line 
2  miles  from  Exeter ;  therefore,  if  the  line  had  been 
opened,  it  would  have  been  useless.  A  proposal 
was  made  to  continue  the  railway  by  an  independent 
Narrow  Gauge  line  into  Exeter,  but  as  more  money 
had  already  been  spent  on  the  line  than  the  amount 
authorised  by  the  Act,  it  was  found  impossible  to 
raise  the  funds  necessary  to  complete  this  extension. 
Never  had  a  railway  been  in  a  more  awkward  pre- 
dicament, nor  has  often  a  clearer  example  been  seen  of 
a  too  clever  party  over-reaching  itself;  but  in  this  case, 


164      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

the  Narrow  Gauge  met  with  an  unexpected  obstacle 
to  their  further  dishonourable  proceedings.  The  Rail- 
way Commissioners  refused  to  sanction  the  opening 
of  the  line  on  the  Narrow  Gauge,  as  the  Act  was 
obtained  for  a  Broad  Gauge  railway,  and  the  Com- 
missioners insisted  upon  the  Exeter  and  Crediton 
Railway  complying  with  this  Act  and  being  a  Broad 
Gauge  line.  For  many  years  the  line  remained  un- 
worked,  the  sole  income  being  derived  from  the  hay 
crop  that  was  regularly  gathered  from  the  grass  that 
grew  on  the  unused  railway.  But  after  these  years  of 
inaction,  Parliamentary  power  was  obtained  to  raise 
further  capital  with  which  the  line  was  re-converted  to 
the  Broad  Gauge,  and  finally  opened  and  worked  by 
the  Bristol  and  Exeter  Railway  on  the  same  terms 
as  contained  in  the  original  lease  entered  into  in  1846. 
Besides  these  years  absolutely  wasted  by  the  disgrace- 
ful action  of  the  London  and  South  Western  Railway, 
which  prevented  the  opening  of  the  line,  the  capital 
of  the  company  was  increased  by  the  extra  expenses 
incurred  in  consequence  of  these  proceedings  of  the 
Narrow  Gauge  party  from  ^70,000,  the  original 
amount,  to  ^119,999,  so  that  besides  the  great  in- 
convenience the  public  suffered  from  the  shameful 
tactics  of  those  who  were  interested  in  forcing  the 
Narrow  Gauge  into  Devonshire,  the  shareholders  in 
this  luckless  company  had  to  divide  any  profit  that 
might  accrue  from  the  line  over  a  capital  of  two-thirds 
larger  than  would  have  been  necessary  if  the  railway 
had  been  opened  at  first  as  originally  intended.  All 
the  extra  capital  consisted  of  debenture  and  preference 
shares,  so  the  fight  between  the  gauges  on  this  occa- 
sion took  away  all  hope  of  the  original  proprietors 
obtaining  any  reasonable  return  on  the  ^70,000  they 
had  invested  in  the  concern.  No  wonder  that  with 
proceedings  such  as  these  fresh  in  the  minds  of  the 
west  countrymen,  the  Narrow  Gauge  was  not  looked 
upon  with  favour  in  Devonshire  and  Cornwall. 

This  line  ultimately  was  merged  in  the  London 


The  Parliamentary  Battle  continued*  165 

and  South  Western  Railway  system,  and  was  again 
altered  to  the  Narrow  Gauge,  and  forms  the  first  part 
of  the  North  Devon  Railway  beyond  Exeter.  It  is 
not  generally  known  that  the  Great  Western  Railway 
still  assert  _  their  right  to  work  over  this  line,  by 
running  two  goods  trains  each  way  daily,  between 
Exeter  and  Crediton. 

In  1846  Parliament  sanctioned  the  following  Broad 
Gauge  lines,  all  of  which  were  connected  with  the 
Great  Western  Railway  : — 

Ashburton,  Newton  and  South  Devon. 

Birmingham,  Wolverhampton  and  Dudley. 

Birmingham  and  Oxford  Junction  (with  branches 
to  Stratford,  etc.)  extension  into  Birmingham. 

Bristol  and  South  Wales  Junction  and  Ferry 
from  the  Great  Western  at  Bristol  to  Aust,  and 
New  Passage  on  the  Severn  to  be  continued  by 
means  of  a  ferry  and  extension  line  to  the  South 
Wales  Railway. 

Bristol  and  Exeter  (Crewkerne  branch). 

Cornwall — Broad  Gauge  line  from  Plymouth  to 
Falmouth  in  continuation  of  the  South  Devon.  Pro- 
moted and  assisted  by  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Exeter  and  Exmouth. 

Oxford,  Worcester  and  Wolverhampton  (branches 
to  Witney,  Stratford-on-Avon  and  Droitwich)  line  with 
two  gauges.  Leased  to  the  Great  Western. 

Portbury  Pier  and  Railway. 

South  Wales,  No.  2.  (Broad  Gauge  branches  to 
Haloe,  Swansea,  Haverford  West,  etc.).  Leased  to 
the  Great  Western,  and  ultimately  to  be  amalgamated. 

South  Devon,  No.  2.  (Broad  Gauge  branches  to 
Torquay,  etc.),  atmospheric  line.  Assisted  and  worked 
by  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Tenby,  Saundersfoot  and  South  Wales  —  Broad 
Gauge  line  in  connection  with  South  Wales  Railway, 
and  purchase  of  Saundersfoot  Railway  and  Harbour. 

Vale  of  Neath  Railway. 

West  Cornwall — Broad  Gauge  line  from  Falmouth 


1 66      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

to  Penzance,  with  branch  to  Truro.  Promoted  and 
assisted  by  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Wilts,  Somerset  and  Weymouth — Extensions  and 
branches  to  Devizes,  Bathampton,  etc.  Leased  to 
the  Great  Western  Railway. 

The  Exeter  and  Exmouth  and  the  West  Cornwall 
from  Truro  to  Penzance  were  afterwards  constructed 
on  the  Narrow  Gauge,  and,  upon  the  opening  of  the 
Cornwall  Broad  Gauge  Railway  to  Truro,  the  West 
Cornwall  added  a  third  rail  to  their  line,  and  so 
became  a  Mixed  Gauge. 

In  1847,  the  principal  gauge  battle  was  in  connec- 
tion with  a  more  direct  line  between  London  and 
Exeter,  the  fight  being  between  three  companies,  or 
rather  the  Great  Western  Railway  had  to  fight  the 
London  and  South  Western  Railway  on  one  side 
and  the  Bristol  and  Exeter  on  the  other.  The  Great 
Western  proposed  a  new  line  from  Hungerford, 
through  Westbury  and  Devizes,  then  along  the  Wilts 
and  Somerset  to  Yeovil,  thence  to  Exeter  by  a  pro- 
posed line  parallel  with  the  present  London  and  South 
Western  Railway  from  Yeovil  to  Exeter.  The  Bristol 
and  Exeter  Railway  proposed  a  Broad  Gauge  line  from 
Taunton  to  Bruton,  and  thence  by  the  proposed  Great 
Western  line  to  Hungerford,  from  which  place  to  Lon- 
don the  Great  Western  line  would  be  used.  At  the 
present  time  the  Great  Western  Railway  is  construct- 
ing two  short  lengths  of  line  which,  when  completed, 
will  form  a  line  between  London  and  Exeter  substan- 
tially similar  to  the  one  proposed  by  the  Bristol  and 
Exeter  Railway  in  1847. 

The  London  and  South  Western  Railway's  Narrow 
Gauge  lines  were,  an  extension  of  the  line  (then  in 
course  of  construction  from  Basingstoke  to  Salisbury) 
from  the  latter  city  through  Yeovil  to  Exeter.  Be- 
yond Exeter  the  South  Western  proposed  to  construct 
Narrow  Gauge  lines  through  Okehampton  and  Tavi- 
stock  to  Plymouth,  and  from  Okehampton,  through 
Launceston  and  Camelford,  through  the  middle  of 


The  Parliamentary  Battle  continued  167 

Cornwall,  to  Truro ;  and  now  we  find  that  after  many 
years  of  waiting  and  many  rebuffs  the  South  Western 
has,  piece  by  piece,  and  year  by  year,  added  to  its 
system,  so  that  it  has  within  the  last  few  years  com- 
pleted its  Narrow  Gauge  line  over  the  whole  of  this 
district  to  Plymouth,  and  is  fast  completing  its  line 
in  Cornwall,  which,  however,  does  not  take  quite  the 
course  originally  proposed,  as,  instead  of  striking 
inland  at  Camelford,  the  line  at  present  under  con- 
struction keeps  to  the  North  Coast  to  Newquay, 
from  which  town  Parliamentary  powers  are  being 
sought  to  construct  a  railway  to  Truro.  But 
this  is  a  digression,  treating  of  lines  that  were  not 
constructed  for  very  many  years  after  the  period  of 
which  we  are  now  writing ;  we  will  therefore  return  to 
the  Parliamentary  battle  of  the  gauges  as  fought  in 
1847.  The  result  of  the  triangular  duel  in  the 
Commons  was  the  passing  of  the  South  Western 
Railway  Bills,  thus  authorising,  so  far  as  the  Lower 
House  was  concerned,  a  Narrow  Gauge  line  to 
Exeter.  This  triumph  of  the  London  and  South 
Western  Railway  was  due  to  the  fact  that  Mr  Cock- 
burn  conducted  their  case.  In  previous  years  Mr 
Cockburn  had  been  briefed  by  the  Great  Western 
Railway,  and  was,  in  consequence,  fully  acquainted 
with  their  arguments,  and  upon  this  occasion  he  used 
them  against  his  old  clients  the  Broad  Gauge.  His 
speech  lasted  for  three  days,  and  was  remarkable  for 
the  merciless  way  he  treated  Brunei,  Russell  and 
Saunders,  bringing  out  and  taking  advantage  of  all  the 
information  and  suggestions  they  had  given  him, 
when  he  was  fighting  for  the  Broad  Gauge  interest  in 
previous  years.  He  again  and  again  made  use  of 
the  expression — '  Out  of  your  own  mouth  I  judge 
you.'  Altogether  during  these  three  days  the  Broad 
Gauge  officials  had  une  mauvaise  quatre  d1  heure  of  a 
very  lengthened  description.  These  Bills  were  then 
suspended,  with  leave  to  come  before  the  House  ~of 
Lords  in  the  1848  Sessions,  and  they  duly  received 


1 68      A  Histoiy  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

the  Royal  assent  in  that  year.  The  Great  Western 
Railway  unsuccessfully  endeavoured  to  get  a  clause 
inserted  for  the  lines  to  be  Double  Gauge  ones,  so  that 
it  could  run  Broad  Gauge  trains  on  these  railways. 
Although  the  London  and  South  Western  Railway 
had  obtained  powers  for  these  extensions,  nothing  was 
done  towards  constructing  the  lines  for  several  years, 
the  company's  finances  being  in  a  very  bad  state. 
The  new  London  and  South  Western  Railway 
extensions  opened  in  1848,  consisting  of  139  miles 
of  additional  line,  only  produced  an  increased 
revenue  of  ,£72,000  in  1849,  so  that  the  dividends  fell 
from  8  per  cent,  to  3  per  cent.  We  can  therefore 
well  understand  the  shareholders  not  being  in  favour 
of  constructing  any  further  extensions.  At  this  time 
the  London  and  South  Western  Railway  had  locked 
up  in  the  various  lines  proposed  to  be  constructed,  in 
opposition  to  the  Broad  Gauge,  the  following  sums  :— 
Exeter  and  Exmouth,  .£"3871,  IDS.  ;  Exeter,  Yeovil 
and  Dorchester,  ,£90,240,  is.  lod.  ;  Exeter  and 
Crediton,  ,£2000;  Western  lines,  ^217,162,  gs.  3d.; 
Cornwall  and  Devon,  ^3000 ;  Sutton  Harbour, 
^9426  ;  Bodmin  and  Wadebridge,  ,£33,096,  95.  8d. 

The  Acts  obtained  in  1848  having  lapsed,  the 
Salisbury  and  Yeovil  Railway  was  constructed  by  an 
independent  company,  which  obtained  its  Act  in  1854, 
and  was  opened  throughout  on  i st  June  1 86 1 .  In  1856, 
the  London  and  South  Western  Railway  obtained 
new  powers  to  construct  a  line  from  Yeovil  to  Exeter, 
which  was  opened  on  I9th  July  1860,  or  twelve  years 
after  the  threatened  invasion.  In  1860  the  South 
Western  obtained  an  Act  '  to  extend  the  Exeter  line, 
and  to  connect  it  with  the  Bristol  and  Exeter ;  also  to 
make  alterations  in  the  St  David's  Station  of  that  line, 
and  to  lay  down  and  work  over  Narrow  Gauge  rails 
from  Exeter  to  Cowley  Bridge  Junction  on  the  Bristol 
and  Exeter  Railway,  and  thence  to  lay  down  Narrow 
Gauge  lines  on  the  Exeter  and  Crediton,  the  North 
Devon  and  Bideford  Extension,'  all  of  which  lines 


The  Parliamentary  Battle  continued.  169 

had  been  constructed  on  the  Broad  Gauge,  despite  the 
various  tricks  of  the  London  and  South  Western 
Railway  to  get  them  made  as  Narrow  Gauge 
railways.  The  construction  of  these  Narrow  Gauge 
lines  in  Wilts  and  Dorset  caused  the  Broad  Gauge 
Companies  to  proceed  with  the  construction  of  their 
authorised  lines,  the  completing  of  which  had  remained 
many  years  in  abeyance.  The  railway  to  Salisbury 
was  opened  in  1856,  and  to  Weymouth  in  1857. 

The  Broad  Gauge  gained  one  notable  triumph,  by 
obtaining  powers  to  construct  a  line  from  Oxford  to 
Cheltenham,  the  London  and  North  Western  Rail- 
way's proposition  for  a  somewhat  similar  line  being 
defeated.  Although  from  a  financial  point  this  line 
could  never  of  itself  be  a  success,  yet  as  a  strategetic 
line  it  was  most  useful,  as  by  it  the  Narrow  Gauge  was 
completely  shut  out  of  the  district  between  London, 
Gloucester  and  South  Wales.  The  contests  we  have 
described  virtually  decided  the  '  Battle  of  the  Gauges,' 
as  although  in  other  years  the  Broad  and  Narrow  lines 
came  into  collision,  the  struggles  were  only  over  minor 
branch  lines  of  but  local  importance.  Being  thus  vic- 
torious the  Broad  Gauge  rested  from  strife  for  several 
years,  gradually  extending  the  mileage  of  its  lines  in 
the  West  and  North  West  of  England,  and  in  South 
Wales,  but  the  change  came  sponte  sua,  when  the 
Great  Western  Railway  found  the  Narrow  Gauge  ob- 
taining the  principal  share  of  the  mineral  and  goods 
traffic,  and  to  conserve  as  much  as  possible  of  this 
traffic  to  itself  the  Great  Western  Railway  one  evil 
day  commenced  to  alter  a  part  of  its  system  from 
Broad  to  Narrow  Gauge.  The  '  powers  that  be '  for- 
got the  truism  obsta  principiis,  and  the  suitability  of 
the  alteration  once  admitted,  the  Narrow  in  place  of 
the  Broad  increased  year  by  year,  until  at  last  the 
Broad  Gauge  became  a  thing  of  the  past. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE    MIXED    GAUGE. 

THE  Gauge  Act  in  a  measure  prevented  the  Great 
Western  Railway  from  extending  its  lines  to  the 
north  and  north-west  of  the  main  line ;  but  as  the 
Great  Western  Railway  and  the  allied  companies  re- 
quired to  make  further  extensions  in  these  directions 
on  the  Broad  Gauge,  their  opponents  immediately 
brought  forward  the  Gauge  Act  to  bar  the  further  pro- 
gress of  the  Broad  Gauge  lines.  To  meet  this  opposi- 
tion the  Great  Western  Railway  proposed  to  put  down 
lines  suitable  for  both  gauges  on  these  new  branches. 
Two  methods  were  suggested  as  practical,  the 
Double  Gauge,  consisting  of  four  parallel  lines  for 
both  the  up  and  the  down  trains,  or  eight  metals  in 
all.  The  outside  lines  of  each  group  were  7  feet  apart, 
and  on  these  Broad  Gauge  vehicles  were  to  run  ;  the 
two  inner  lines  were  4  feet  8|-  inches  for  Narrow 
Gauge  stock.  By  this  means  it  was  proposed  to  run 
trains  composed  of  both  Broad  and  Narrow  Gauge 
vehicles ;  not  only  was  this  project  strenuously 
opposed  by  the'  Narrow  Gauge  companies,  whose 
opposition  was  outwardly  based  on  the  danger,  ex- 
pense and  impracticability  of  such  means  of  working 
railways  ;  but  the  real  cause  of  their  objection  was  the 
desire  to  retain  the  monopoly  of  these  important  dis- 
tricts themselves ;  and  the  leading  Narrow  Gauge 
engineers  were  retained  by  them  to  give  scientific 
evidence  as  to  the  dangers  and  inutility  of  such  an 
arrangement  of  lines.  It  is  certainly  to  be  deplored  to 

find  men,  high  in  the  engineering  profession,  giving 

170 


The  Mixed  Gauge.  171 

such  evidence  as  was  adduced  on  behalf  of  the  Narrow 
Gauge. 

These  engineers,  including  Robert  Stephenson, 
seemed  to  forget  that  it  was  their  experience  and  their 
opinion  as  engineers  that  were  required,  and  that  they 
were  not  employed  to  back  up  certain  parties  at  all 
costs,  such  methods  of  fighting  being  left  to  counsel. 
Yet  one  and  all  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  engineers  were 
so  unmindful  of  their  status  as  to  declare  the  impossi- 
bility of  so  laying  the  metals  and  working  two  gauges. 
It  is  humiliating  to  find  these  positive  assurances  of 
men,  who,  above  all,  should  be  capable  of  judging  as 
to  the  practicability  or  non-practicability  of  a  certain 
method,  completely  disproved  in  actual  working,  and 
what  they  said  was  '  impossible '  being  daily  success- 
fully carried  out.  Such  evidence  only  detracts  from  the 
weight  usually  given  to  the  statements  of  those  who 
are  supposed  to  be  qualified  to  give  opinions  on  cer- 
tain subjects,  and  leads  the  public  to  think  that  the 
opinion  and  evidence  of  scientific  witnesses  follow  the 
fees,  and  are  therefore  of  little  value. 

The  other  proposal  of  the  Broad  Gauge  was  to  lay 
down  three  rails,  the  outside  ones  for  the  Broad  Gauge, 
and  one  of  the  outer  to  be  common  to  both  gauges,  and 
the  middle  one  to  be  used  by  the  Narrow  Gauge  trains. 
This  was  called  the  Mixed  Gauge,  and  was  the  system 
usually  adopted.  But  this  proposal  was  as  distasteful 
to  the  Narrow  Gauge  party  as  was  the  Double  Gauge, 
and  the  same  evidence  was  brought  forward  to  prove 
the  utter  inutility  and  the  great  danger  that  would 
arise  from  such  a  mixture.  How  completely  false  the 
predictions  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  engineers  have 
proved  we  have  good  means  of  judging  by  the  fact 
that  the  Mixed  Gauge  was  in  daily  use  on  hundreds  of 
miles  of  railway  on  the  Great  Western  Railway  for 
forty  years  or  more,  and  yet  without  accident.  So 
much  for  the  opinions  of  Robert  Stephenson  and  his 
Narrow  Gauge  brother  engineers. 

On  ist  June  1847,  the  Commons  passed  the  follow- 


172      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

ing  resolution : — '  On  consideration  of  the  report  of 
the  Coventry,  Banbury  and  Oxford  Junction  Bill  to 
move  that  the  Bill  be  re-committed  for  the  purpose  of 
enabling  the  Committee  to  report  their  reasons  for 
recommending,  in  their  twelfth  resolution,  that  such 
line  should  be  formed  on  any  other  than  the  4  feet  8^ 
inch  gauge.'  The  House  of  Lords,  on  25th  June  1847, 
ordered  the  Railway  Commissioners  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  to  examine  the  question  for  laying  a  Mixed 
Gauge  on  the  Birmingham  and  Oxford  Junction  Rail- 
way. 

This  report  was  in  favour  of  the  Mixed  Gauge, 
which  was  accordingly  laid  down  to  Birmingham.  On 
7th  July  1847,  Mr  Robert  Stephenson  made  a  long 
report  to  Mr  Creed,  the  Secretary  of  the  London  and 
North  Western  Railway,  in  which  he  strongly  in- 
veighed against  the  Double  Gauge.  His  conclusions 
were  as  follow: — First.  Permanent  way. --That  the 
four-rail  system  increases  the  complication  so  much 
as  to  be  inadmissible,  except  where  absolutely  neces- 
sary, as  at  turn -plates,  etc.  That  notwithstanding 
the  exercise  of  the  utmost  care  in  construction  and 
maintenance  of  way,  the  mixture  of  gauges,  either  by 
means  of  three  or  four  rails,  introduces  in  the  road 
itself  a  greatly  increased  risk  of  accident,  entirely  in- 
capable of  remedy,  and  scarcely  justifiable  by  any 
considerations  of  mere  convenience.  Second.  Station 
arrangements. — '  That  collisions  on  a  three-rail  Mixed 
Gauge  line  between  trains  of  different  gauges  would 
necessarily  be  even  more  disastrous  in  their  conse- 
quences than  under  the  present  system  ;  the  blows 
would  be  oblique,  and  would  therefore  tend  to  twist 
and  double  up  the  train,  and  so  to  bring  the  carriages 
into  a  position  in  which  they  would  be  least  able  to 
resist  the  crushing  force.  The  four-rail  system  for 
sidings  has  already  been  shown  to  involve  a  greatly 
increased  number  of  dangerous  points  of  intersections. 
It  would  also  be  inconvenient  at  the  platforms.  The 
only  alternative,  then,  is  to  lay  separate  sidings  for  the 


The  Mixed  Gauge.  173 

two  gauges,  or,  in  other  words,  completely  to  duplicate 
station  arrangements.'    Third.  Traffic  arrangements. — 
Mr  Robert  Stephenson  reported  that  if  the  traffic  was 
conducted  in  a  fair  way  double  the  number  of  trains 
would  have  to  be  run,  viz.,  the   usual  complement  of 
each  gauge — *  By  the  Mixed  Gauge  system,  the  evils 
hitherto  confined  to  one  district  will  be  repeated  in 
new  and  distant  parts  of  the  country.     The  break  of 
gauge,  in  short,  cannot  be  remedied  by  the  mixture  of 
gauges  until  such  mixture  becomes  co-extensive  with 
railways  themselves,  and  thus,  after  enormous  expense, 
we  should  arrive  at  last  at  uniformity,  but  without  the 
simplicity  of  construction  and  arrangement  which  can 
alone  insure  the  economy,  safety  and  efficiency  of  the 
railway  system.'     When  we  read  that  Mr  Stephenson, 
before  the   Commissioners,  in  answer  to  a  question, 
gravely  and  emphatically  said   that  '  the  rejection  of 
the   Mixed,   is,    I   think,   beyond  all  question.      I   do 
not  know  a  single  practical  man  in  this  country  who 
has   not   felt  that  as    strongly  as   myself.'     Certainly 
illogical  enough  to  make  one  smile !  but  his  reply  to 
the  (next)  question,   '  You  think  the   Narrow  better, 
yet  you  are  of  opinion    that    whatever   may   be   the 
decision  with  respect  to  the  Narrow  or  Broad,  that  the 
effect  of  experiment  will  be  the  absolute  rejection  of  all 
the  Mixed?'     'Certainly!'    makes  us  laugh  outright, 
so  completely  has  his  prediction  on  this  score  been 
falsified.     So  much   for  the  expert    evidence  of  this 
celebrated  Narrow  Gauge  engineer.     Mr  Locke  cor- 
roborated this  evidence.     He  stated,  in  most  distinct 
terms,  '  that  having  turned  his  attention  to  the  ques- 
tion of  mixing  the  gauge  of  railways,  he  was  not  dis- 
posed to  recommend  or  sanction  it  anywhere  ;  that  he 
thought  it  would  be  liable  to  cause  great  interruption 
of  traffic ;  would  be  attended  with   vast  expense,  far 
greater  than  was  at  all  contemplated  ;  that  it  would  be 
absolutely  necessary  to  have  separate  stations ;    that 
danger  would  be  produced   by  the  multiplication    of 
points  and  crossings,  and  by  the  consequent  diminu- 


174      ^  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

tion  of  the  solidity  of  the  road.  Points  and 
crossings  are  not  good  things  at  high  speeds,  and  so 
long  as  the  speed  on  a  railway  is  very  small  the  incon- 
venience of  a  point  or  crossing  is  not  very  great,  but 
when  you  have  a  station  with  a  number  of  points  and 
crossings,  and  express  trains  passing  through  at  50  or 
60  miles  an  hour,  then  it  becomes  rather  serious.' 

Mr  Locke  also  addressed  a  long  letter  on  the  evils 
of  the  Mixed  Gauge  to  Lord  John  Russell,  who  was 
then  Premier.  In  this  epistle  he  tried  to  prove  that 
the  remedy  of  a  Mixed  Gauge  was  a  far  greater  evil 
than  the  break  of  gauge  itself,  and  ended  up  by  sub- 
mitting to  his  Lordship,  '  that  it  is  clearly  the  duty  of 
the  Government  to  see  that  the  evils  of  the  com- 
plexities of  gauge  are  not  inflicted  upon  the  railway 
system,  and  to  put  an  effectual  stop  to  the  accumu- 
lating evils  which  private  legislation  is  every  day 
causing  in  further  extending  the  untried  system  of 
Mixed  Gauge.' 

Soon  after  the  publication  of  Mr  Locke's  falla- 
cious letter,  a  caustic  article  appeared  in  the  Morning 
Herald,  which  completely  proved  the  utter  want  of 
soundness  in  the  theories  and  views  expounded  by 
Mr  Locke ;  and  the  subsequent  general  extension  of 
the  Mixed  Gauge  has  completely  verified  the  opinion 
expressed  by  the  Morning  Herald. 

In  connection  with  the  evidence  given  before  the 
Commissioners  with  regard  to  the  Mixed  Gauge  on 
the  Birmingham  and  Oxford  line,  Mr  Gooch  made 
his  world-famous  experiments  as  to  the  resistance  of 
trains  at  various  speeds.  Mr  Gooch  thus  writes  of 
those  experiments  : — '  I  felt  a  complete  series  of  ex- 
periments was  required,  and  having  the  authority  of 
the  Board  to  spend  what  was  necessary,  I  designed 
and  constructed  an  indicator  to  measure  and  accurately 
record  the  speed  at  which  the  train  was  moving,  and 
also  on  the  same  paper  to  record  the  traction  power 
used  by  the  engine  measured  by  a  spring ;  also  on  the 
same  paper  the  force  and  direction  of  the  wind.  To 


The  Mixed  Gauge.  175 

check  the  traction  I  also  at  the  same  time  took  indi- 
cator cards  from  the  cylinder  of  the  engine  so  as  accur- 
ately to  measure  the  power  exerted  there.  It  also 
gave  me  the  power  expended  in  moving  the  engines. 
I  made  a  great  number  of  experiments  over  a  level 
piece  of  line  on  the  Bristol  and  Exeter  line  at 
various  rates  of  speed  and  loads.  They  gave  me 
results  very  different  from  those  obtained  by  the 
Narrow  Gauge,  which,  however,  were  done  more  by 
calculation  than  by  actual  experiment.  They  cost 
me  a  vast  amount  of  labour,  both  in  calculations  and 
in  making  the  experiments.  It  was  rather  a  difficult 
task  to  sit  on  the  buffer  beam  of  the  engine  and  take 
indicator  cards  at  speeds  of  60  miles  an  hour.' 

These  experiments  were  considered  at  the  meeting 
of  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers  on  i8th  April 
and  2d  May  1848,  and  led  to  considerable  discus- 
sion, as  the  results  arrived  at  were  very  dissimilar 
to  those  obtained  on  the  Narrow  Gauge  a  year  or 
so  previously,  the  trains  performing  which  had  not 
been  propelled  but  had  descended  various  banks  by 
gravity.  Mr  Gooch  for  his  experiments  constructed 
a  dynamometer  carriage  at  Swindon  in  which  all  the 
results  required  were  registered  upon  a  large  scale  on 
the  same  roll  of  paper,  thus  exhibiting  at  one  view,  and 
in  the  same  period  of  time,  the  tractive  power  exerted 
upon  the  train,  and  the  force  and  direction  of  the  wind  ; 
the  registration  of  the  results  was  made  upon  the 
paper  at  every  sixteenth  part  of  a  mile,  and  the  time 
was  registered  in  correspondence  with  the  distance 
traversed  during  every  fifth  part  of  a  second.  The 
dynamometer  spring  used  was  7  feet  6  inches  long, 
and  very  carefully  arranged.  It  was  only  necessary 
to  count  the  number  of  seconds  or  fractions  of  a 
second  in  one  or  more  of  the  distance  divisions  and 
the  speed  was  accurately  ascertained.  The  force 
and  direction  of  the  wind  was  ascertained  by  a  wind 
gauge,  placed  5  feet  above  the  top  of  the  carriage, 
with  the  connections  brought  down  to  pencils,  which 


176      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

indicated  on  the  same  sheet  all  the  results.  Indicator 
cards  were  also  taken  simultaneously  from  the  steam 
cylinders  as  frequently  as  was  practicable,  but  not 
continuously,  as  it  was  a  service  of  some  danger,  the 
experimenter  being  obliged  to  sit  on  the  buffer  beam 
of  the  engine  at  a  velocity  of  60  miles  an  hour,  and 
in  that  windy  position  to  take  off  four  sets  of  cards 
in  three-quarters  of  a  minute.  The  spot  selected  for 
performing  the  experiments  was  one  mile  of  railway, 
perfectly  straight  and  level,  and  nearly  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground  ;  in  the  plan  the  height  of  the 
trees,  hedges,  and  every  intervening  object  which 
could  affect  the  influence  of  the  wind  is  clearly 
marked.  The  experimental  train  consisted  of  first 
and  second-class  carriages,  each  on  six  wheels,  4  feet 
diameter,  taken  indiscriminately  from  the  working 
stock  and  loaded  with  iron  to  represent  a  fair  load 
of  passengers,  giving  a  gross  weight  to  each  of  10 
tons.  The  experiments  were  tried  with  various 
weights  and  speeds  up  to  100  tons  and  to  62  miles 
per  hour,  and  the  results  were  classified  and  arranged 
in  a  tabular  form  with  copious  explanatory  headings 
so  as  to  render  reference  to  them  exceedingly  easy. 
After  the  discussion  at  the  Institution  the  Broad 
Gauge  made  some  more  experiments,  letting  the 
trains  travel  by  gravity  down  the  Wooton  Bassett 
and  White  Ball  Tunnel  inclines  with  varying  loads, 
the  engines  hauling  the  trains  to  the  summits  and 
then  shutting  off  steam.  The  following  engines 
were  employed,  '  Milo,'  '  Firebrand,'  '  Saturn,'  '  Load 
Star,'  'Bellona,'  'Ariel,'  'Orion,'  and  'Mars.'  A. 
writer  who  chronicles  these  experiments  thus  con- 
cludes : — '  We  perfectly  well  recollect  that  Mr  Brunei 
was  laughed  at  when  he  stated,  some  years  ago,  that 
he  could  get  60  miles  per  hour  out  of  a  locomotive. 
We  now  get  75  miles  per  hour  with  heavy  trains. 
His  opinion  that  he  could  obtain  a  uniform  velocity 
of  from  50  to  55  miles  per  hour  by  gravity  down 
i  in  100  was  treated  with  scarce  less  courtesy.  These 


The  Mixed  Gaiige.  \  7  7 

practically  demonstrated  and  demonstrative  affirmatives 
of  things  declared  to  be  "  impossible "  should  teach 
some  of  our  extremely  clever  paper  calculators  and 
ingenious  theorisers  the  insecurity  —  for  their  own 
fame — of  laying  down  "general"  rules  upon  incom- 
plete or  one-sided  data.  They  are  too  positive  and 
too  clever — genius  is  modest,  and  usually  doubts  in 
these  matters.' 

The  Narrow  Gauge  engineers  had  made  such  an 
outcry  as  to  the  unsafeness  of  the  Mixed  Gauge, 
especially  at  the  junctions,  that  to  allay  the  fear 
that  might  naturally  arise  in  the  minds  of  timid 
travellers,  a  very  ingenious  means  to  obviate  the 
use  of  points  was  employed  on  the  Cheltenham  and 
Gloucester  line,  which  was  the  first  line  opened  on 
the  Mixed  Gauge.  This  mixed  line  had  been  laid 
down  some  time,  but  was  not  used  as  a  Broad  Gauge 

O 

line  till  23d  October  1847.  The  first  through 
train  covered  the  121  miles,  Paddington  to  Chelten- 
ham, in  2  hours  45  minutes,  including  several  stop- 
pages. A  Narrow  Gauge  engineer  thus  describes 
a  journey  on  this  the  first  Mixed  Gauge  line,  and  the 
method  of  working  same  : — '  From  Gloucester,  south- 
ward to  Standish,  a  distance  of  about  7  miles,  there 
is  a  Broad  Gauge  railway  used  in  common  by  the 
Great  Western  Railway  Company  for  the  traffic 
between  Gloucester  and  Cheltenham,  via  Swindon 
to  London,  and  by  the  Bristol  and  Birmingham 
section  of  the  Midland  Company's  lines  for  their 
traffic  from  Gloucester  to  Bristol,  the  Bristol  and 
Swindon  lines  (both  on  the  Broad  Gauge)  diverging 
at  Standish. 

From  Gloucester  northwards  the  Narrow  Gauge  of 
the  Midland  Company  proceeds  to  Birmingham,  and 
between  Gloucester  and  Cheltenham,  in  addition  to 
the  Narrow  Gauge  rails,  the  Great  Western  have  laid 
a  third  rail  on  each  track,  to  allow  of  Broad  Gauge 
trains  running  to  Cheltenham,  where  they  have  a 
separate  station  from  the  Midland  Company.  Be- 

M 


178      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

tween  Gloucester  and  Cheltenham  there  is  thus  the 
first  example  of  a  Mixed  Gauge  railway.  On  arriving 
at  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  Gloucester 
Station,  by  an  express  train  from  London,  I  found 
that  our  train  was  turned  by  a  switch  (meeting  the 
train)  across  the  up  line  of  the  Bristol  and  Gloucester 
Railway.  When  we  had  gone  about  200  yards 
further  we  crossed  a  turn-table  on  the  main  line,  and 
pulled  up.  As  we  crossed  this  turn-table  I  perceived 
with  some  dismay  an  engine  and  two  carriages  ap- 
proaching us  at  a  distance  of  about  50  yards  upon  a 
line  of  railway  which  crossed  the  turn-table,  which  we 
had  just  crossed  over,  at  right  angles  to  the  line  on 
which  we  were  running.  This  engine  and  train  hav- 
ing stopped  (fortunately  in  time,  or  of  course  it  would 
have  cut  our  train  in  two),  several  passengers  got  out 
of  their  carriages  and  made  for  our  train,  one  or  two 
with  luggage  in  their  hands.  Two  carnages  of  our 
train  were  then  detached  by  means  of  the  turn-table, 
and  were  taken  back  by  the  engine  on  the  '  spur '  line, 
as  it  may  be  termed,  to  Gloucester,  while  we  proceeded 
to  Cheltenham.  All  passengers  from  Gloucester  to 
Cheltenham,  a  distance  of  7  miles,  by  any  of  the 
through  Broad  Gauge  trains  have  thus  to  change 
on  an  exposed  platform  a  mile  from  Gloucester. 

'  This  mode  of  working  the  Gloucester  traffic  as  a 
branch  traffic,  with  a  separate  engine  and  train  for  the 
branch,  such  branch  being  less  than  a  mile  long,  and 
cutting  the  main  line  at  right  angles,  is  the  result  of 
the  lines  of  two  different  gauges.  Having  parted 
with  our  Gloucester  carnages,  and  picked  up  the 
Gloucester  branch  traffic  as  described,  we  proceeded 
to  the  point  where  the  Broad  and  Narrow  Gauges 
become  mingled,  which  is  at  a  place  called  Barnwood. 
In  order  to  get  on  to  the  down  track  of  the  Bristol 
and  Birmingham  Narrow  Gauge  line,  we  here  crossed 
the  up  line  of  that  railway  again.  We  were  now  on 
the  Mixed  Gauge.  On  getting  on  to  it,  we  got  a  sharp 
shake,  and  the  road  itself  between  this  and  the  point 


The  Mixed  Gauge.  179 

where  the  Broad  Gauge  rails  turn  off  to  the  Chelten- 
ham Station  was  somewhat  rough,  but  not  particularly 
so.  The  road  is  adapted  to  the  Broad  Gauge  by  the 
laying  of  an  additional  rail  on  each  track  fastened  to 
the  sleepers,  which  are  new  and  longer  than  the 
ordinary  sleepers  fora  Narrow  Gauge  track.  These 
additional  rails  are  put  on  the  outside  of  the  Narrow 
Gauge  outside  rails,  so  that  the  common  rail  is  the 
inside  rail  of  each  line,  and  not  the  outside  rail  as 
suggested  by  Mr  Brunei  in  his  report  on  the  Oxford 
and  Rugby  line.  On  approaching  Cheltenham  we 
were  "slowed"  and  turned  off  to  the  Broad  Gauge 
Cheltenham  station,  which  is  distinct  from  the  Narrow 
Gauge  station,  crossing  here  again,  and  for  the  third 
time  in  a  distance  of  7  miles,  the  up  line  of  the 
Bristol  and  Birmingham  Railway. 

'  The  turn  off  is  effected  not  by  means  of  a  switch 
in  the  usual  form,  but  by  cutting  a  notch  in  the 
common  rail,  and  so  making  a  fixed  point  (meeting  all 
the  trains  of  both  gauges),  and  then  by  raising  the 
level  of  the  Broad  Gauge  outer  rail  5  inches  above 
the  level  of  such  fixed  point,  while  the  level  of  the 
Narrow  Gauge  outer  rail  is  kept  3  inches  below  such 
fixed  point.  The  Broad  Gauge  carriages  are  thus 
canted  over  so  as  to  run  on  one  side  of  the  fixed 
point,  while  the  Narrow  Gauge  carriages  are  canted 
over  in  the  opposite  direction  so  as  to  take  the.  other 
side  of  the  fixed  point.' 

This  it  will  be  seen  is  merely  substituting  a  '  fixed 
point  meeting  the  trains  for  a  half  switch.'  He  ends 
up  by  stating,  '  The  necessary  result  of  these  fearful 
complexities  is,  that  the  speed  has  to  be  reduced  to  a 
walking  pace  three  times  in  a  distance  of  7  miles,  and 
that  the  last  mile  into  Gloucester  has  to  be  performed 
at  little  above  a  walking  pace.  A  complexity  of  signals 
is  also  requisite,  altogether  exceeding  belief,  which 
complexity  is  increased  by  two  systems  of  signalling 
obtaining  on  the  two  gauges.  Strange  as  it  may  seem, 
I  actually  stood  in  one  spot  near  Gloucester  and 


180      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

counted  ten  different  signal  posts  of  several  forms. 
The  general  conclusion  to  which  I  came,  from  my 
visit,  was  that  the  mixture  of  gauges  resulted  in  a  form 
of  railway  so  unsafe,  so  intricate  and  broken  up,  and  so 
extravagant  in  point  of  expense,  as  to  render  it  al- 
together inadmissible  as  a  practical  arrangement,  and 
ruinous  to  that  simplicity  on  which  the  utility  and  safety 
of  railways  depend.'  His  conclusions  thus  show  that 
he  had  the  usual  Narrow  Gauge  prejudices  against  the 
Mixed  Gauge.  But  despite  these  impractical  croakers 
the  Mixed  Gauge  continued  to  increase,  and  after  the 
Oxford  and  Birmingham  and  Wolverhampton  Mixed 
Gauge  line  was  opened,  the  third  rail  was  gradually 
laid  down  over  the  Great  Western  line  from  Oxford 
to  London. 

It  was  on  ist  October  1852  that  the  first  Broad 
Gauge  train  was  run  from  Paddington  to  Birmingham  ; 
and  looking  back  by  the  light  of  subsequent  events,  the 
fact  that  this  train,  which  was  drawn  by  the  famous 
'  Lord  of  the  Isles,'  came  into  collision  at  Aynho  with  a 
preceding  slow  train  from  Oxford,  this  accident  might 
almost  be  taken  as  an  omen  of  the  ill  fate  awaiting 
this  section  of  the  Broad  Gauge  system,  for  it  was  on  ist 
October  1 86 1,  exactly  nine  years  later,  that  Paddington 
Station  first  suffered  the  ignominy  of  a  Narrow  Gauge 
train  being  despatched  from  that  stronghold  of  the  wide 
gauge  ;  but  the  enemy  once  having  obtained  an  entrance 
there,  held  on  tenaciously,  and  certainly  came  to  stay. 
Before  thirty-one  years  had  expired  all  traces  of  Brunei's 
grand  gauge  had  disappeared  from  the  Great  Western 
Railway  headquarters.  On  that  eventful  morning  how 
well  we  can  picture  the  sad  look  on  the  faces  of  the 
station  officials  as  they  made  preparations  to  send  away 
the  first  Narrow  Gauge  passenger  train.  How  humili- 
ated Nicolas  Graiff  must  have  felt  as  he  opened  the  regu- 
lator of  the  cramped  locomotive  he  had  been  deputed 
to  drive,  while  the  late  start  must  have  filled  his  mind 
with  grief,  and  caused  him  to  think  '  that  with  the 
Narrow  Gauge  they  could  not  even  get  the  trains  away 


The  Mixed  Gauge. 


181 


to  time,'  nor  could  the  station  staff  help  admitting 
that  the  inauguration  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  service 
had  not  been  a  success,  and  if  any  were  given  to  pre- 
judging events  by  the  result  of  the  first  attempt,  their 
conclusions  as  to  the  Narrow  Gauge  must  have  been 
of  a  dismal  kind.  The  following  official  timing  of  the 
train  is  of  interest:  — 

The  first  Narrow  Gauge  train  which  left  Paddington 
on  ist  October  1861. 


BOOKED  TIME. 


STATIONS. 

Arr. 

Dep. 

A.M. 

A.M. 

Paddington, 

9-35 

Reading, 

IO.27 

10.30 

Oxford, 

II.  IO 

11.15 

Leamington, 

12.  2O 

12.23 

Birmingham, 

12-55 

REMARKS. 


Collect^  tickets. 

Time  allowed,  3  hrs.  20  min. 

ACTUAL  TIME. 

Paddington,  9.37  2  min.  late,  13  on. 

Reading,     .       10.29  IO-34  2         v 

Oxford,        .      11.15  11.20  5         ,,          4  off. 

Leamington,      12.17  12.29  3         »  i  off  hot  box. 

Birmingham,      12.58  3         „  8  on. 

Engine  No.  75. — Paddington  to  Oxford. 

Engineman. — Nicolas  Graiff. 
Engine  No.  76. — Oxford  to  Birmingham. 
Engineman. — Ralph  Eliott. 

fine,    but    hazy    on    approaching     Bir- 


Weather 
mingham. 

SUMMARY 


OF  TIME  AND  TRAINS. 


From 

To 

Running  Time. 

Stops. 

Miles. 

Min. 

Min. 

Paddington 

Reading 

52 

3 

36 

Reading 

Oxford 

40 

5 

27i 

Oxford 

Leamington 

65 

3 

42* 

Leamington 

Birmingham 

32 

23i 

189 

ii  stops 

Total, 

200  mins.   =    3  hrs.  20  min. 

1 82      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

The  Mixed  Gauge  was  early  in  the  conflict  laid 
down  from  Oxford  to  Basingstoke,  so  as  to  form  a 
Narrow  Gauge  connection  between  the  London  and 
South  Western  Railway  and  the  North.  The  laying 
of  the  third  rail  for  this  42  miles  cost  the  Great 
Western  Railway  over  ,£  138,000,  which  was  solely 
for  the  accommodation  of  other  railways.  In  1857, 
.£13,341  was  expended  at  Reading  to  provide  for 
through  accommodation  of  Narrow  Gauge  traffic 
from  the  north  to  the  South  Eastern  Railway.  From 
this  time  the  Mixed  Gauge  was  gradually  laid  down 
over  various  parts  of  the  Great  Western  system. 
Exeter  being  the  place  farthest  west  reached  by  the 
continuous  Mixed  Gauge,  which  was  in  1874,  it  being 
here  where  for  many  years  goods  traffic  from  Narrow 
Gauge  stations  to  places  on  the  South  Devon  and 
Cornwall  lines  was  transhipped,  until  the  final  conver- 
sion in  May  1892  rendered  it  unnecessary.  At  one 
time  there  was  272  miles  of  Mixed  Gauge  railways  in 
operation. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

BROAD   GAUGE    LOCOMOTIVES. 

THE  various  Narrow  Gauge  companies  having  con- 
structed new  engines  much  larger  in  size,  and  extremely 
powerful  in  every  way,  the  Great  Western  Railway 
took  measures  to  improve  their  locomotives  early  in 
1846,  and  Mr  Gooch  was  instructed  to  build  a  colossal 
engine  without  delay,  and  to  have  it  in  work  before 
the  Parliamentary  Session  commenced.  The  result 
was,  by  working  day  and  night  for  thirteen  weeks, 
the  '  Great  Western '  was  produced,  and  was  first  tried 
in  April  1846.  As  originally  constructed  she  was  a 
six-wheel  engine,  but  it  was  soon  found  that  there  was 
too  much  weight  on  the  leading  wheels,  so  Mr  Gooch 
added  another  pair  of  small  wheels  before  the  '  drivers,' 
and  so  was  inaugurated  that  world  famous  type  of 
Broad  Gauge  express  engines.  Every  writer  on  loco- 
motives— including  the  most  red  hot  partisan  of  the 
cramped  4  feet  8£  inch  gauge — has  nothing  but  un- 
qualified praise  for  these  splendid  examples  of  en- 
gineering skill,  which  have  done  more  than  anything 
else  to  place  England  at  the  head  of  locomotive  con- 
structors, and  which  position  has  been  held  for  so 
many  years  by  this  country,  but  which,  alas !  with 
the  extinction  of  the  Broad  Gauge,  appears  to  be 
passing  away  from  us.  One  writer,  in  describing 
these  unequalled  engines,  only  a  few  years  ago,  says, 
— '  No  engines  in  the  world  have  so  long  and  as 
famous  a  history  as  these  old  engines  of  Sir  Daniel 

183 


184      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Gooch.  They  look  to-day,  with  their  great  8  feet 
driving  wheels,  and  their  old-world  brass  dome  and 
brass  wheels  covers,  just  as  they  must  have  looked 
forty  years  ago,  when  our  fathers  gaped  open  mouthed 
at  the  tale  of  their  achievements,  and  indeed  their 
achievements  were,  in  sober  earnest,  remarkable 
enough.' 

Mr  Bowen  Cooke  in  British  Locomotives  thus 
speaks  of  these  engines,  '  And  magnificent  engines  they 
were ;  but  unfortunately  there  is  no  longer  any  track 
on  which  they  can  display  their  powers.  There  must 
be  but  few  railway  men  who  can  help  regretting  that 
such  a  step  has  had  to  be  taken.' 

Even  Mr  C.  Stretton,  who  has  most  extreme  views 
on  the  gauge  question,  and  appears  to  consider  that  the 
Narrow  Gauge  is  without  question  the  best  possible 
one  in  every  respect  that  could  have  been  chosen, 
acknowledges  that  'This  splendid  locomotive  ("The 
Great  Western  ")  was  highly  successful,  and  was  found 
capable  of  evaporating  300  cubic  feet  of  water  per  hour, 
and  it  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  engines  of  this  class 
appear  to  be  among  the  most  economical  ever  run,  the 
consumption  of  coal  being  as  low  as  2^  Ibs.  per  horse 
power  per  hour.' 

The  fame  of  the  '  Great  Western  '  engine  was  soon 
being  talked  about  everywhere  ;  but  at  first  the  Narrow 
Gauge  engineers  would  not  believe  the  remarkable 
tales  told  of  its  power,  nor  the  more  wonderful  records 
of  the  speed  attained  by  it  which  appeared  in  the  news- 
papers ;  but  personal  observation  soon  proved  the  en- 
tire truth  of  these  statements  to  the  most  sceptical 
opponents  of  the  Broad  Gauge.  One  of  its  first  remark- 
able trips  was  from  Paddington  to  Swindon  and  back 
with  a  train  of  fourteen  carriages,  weighing  140  tons,  the 
entire  journey  performed  at  an  average  travelling  speed 
of  57  miles  an  hour.  On  another  occasion  she  took 
the  9.45  A.M.  express  from  Paddington  to  Exeter,  i93f 
miles,  in  3  hours  28  minutes  (travelling  time),  or  at  the 
rate  of  53  miles  an  hour  for  the  whole  journey.  On 


Broad  Gauge  Locomotives.  185 

Saturday,  I3th  June  1846,  a  sensational  trip  was  made, 
which  Mr  Russell  justly  called  a  '  great  fact,'  and  there 
is  no  doubt  better  results  would  have  been  attained  had 
not  one  of  the  pumps  supplying  the  boiler  broken  down 
at  Slough  (this  was  before  the  days  of  injectors.)  This 
accident  necessitated  reducing  the  speed,  as  the  re- 
maining pump  could  not  supply  water  to  the  boiler  as 
quickly  as  it  could  have  been  evaporated  had  the 
engine  been  driven  at  full  speed.  '  The  train  (the 
"Great  Western")  weighed  TOO  tons,  and  consisted  of 
ten  first-class  carriages,  seven  of  which  were  ballasted 
with  iron,  the  other  three  being  occupied  by  the 
Directors  and  those  interested  in  the  experiment.  The 
train  started  from  Paddington  at  1 1  hours  47  minutes 
52  seconds  ;  at  Didcot  a  stop  of  5i  -minutes  was  made  ; 
Swindon  was  reached  in  78  minutes.  After  staying 
there  4  minutes  27  seconds  the  journey  was  continued' 
to  Bristol,  the  whole  distance  of  n8|-  miles  being 
covered  in  2  hours  12  minutes,  or  at  the  rate  of  54  miles 
an  hour,  or,  excluding  the  9f  minutes  spent  in  the  two 
stoppages,  at  about  59  miles  an  hour  for  the  complete 
journey,  including  the  slowing  down  and  getting  up 
speed  again  on  three  occasions.  The  maximum  speed 
was  obtained  between  the  eighty-third  and  ninety- 
second  mile  posts  (from  the  eightieth  to  the  eighty- 
fifth  mile  there  is  a  falling  gradient  of  8  feet  per  mile,  and 
from  the  eighty-fifth  and  a  half  to  about  the  eighty-sixth 
and  a  half  mile  there  is  a  falling  gradient  of  about  i  in 
100,  and  a  fall  of  8  feet  per  mile  then  reaches  to  about 
the  ninetieth  and  a  half  mile  post ;  a  rising  gradient  of 
8  feet  per  mile  then  succeeds  and  extends  beyond  the. 
ninety-second  mile  post)  performing  the  10  miles  in  9 
minutes  and  8  seconds,  or  at  an  average  speed  of  nearly 
66  miles  an  hour.  The  eighty-seventh  and  eighty- 
eighth  miles,  on  a  falling  gradient  of  8  feet  per  mile, 
were  run  over  at  a  rate  of  69  miles  per  hour.' 

After  a  luncheon  the  party  returned  again  to  London 
by  the  special  train,  Mr  Brunei  driving  the  engine  on 
both  occasions.  A  speed  of  78  miles  an  hour  has  been 


1 86      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

attained  by  this  engine  on  riiany  trips.  The  splendid 
engines  of  this  class  continued  to  work  the  famous 
Broad  Gauge  express  trains  until  that  gauge  was  no 
more. 

One  of  the  most  famous  of  these  locomotives  was 
the, '  Lord  of  the  Isles,'  which  was  exhibited  at  the  first 
International  Exhibition  in  Hyde  Park  in  1851,  at 
Edinburgh  in  1890,  and  again  at  the  Chicago  Exhibi- 
tion in  1893.  This  engine  was  the  usual  one  given 
as  a  type  of  locomotives  described  in  works  on  the 
steam  engine  for  many  years.  The  following  are 
the  principal  dimensions  of  the  '  Great  Western '  as 
first  built: — 'Cylinders,  18  inches  diameter  and  2  feet 
stroke ;  driving  wheels,  8  feet  diameter ;  supporting 
wheels,  4  feet  6  inches  diameter  ;  278  tubes,  9  feet  long 
2  inches  diameter ;  fire  box,  outside,  5  feet  6  inches  by 
6  feet — inside,  4  feet  10  inches  by  5  feet  4  inches,  with 
partition  through  the  middle,  giving  160  feet  of  heat- 
ing surface  and  20  feet  of  fire  grate  area  ;  total  heating 
surface,  1751  square  feet ;  height  from  level  of  rail  to  top 
of  boiler,  9  feet  6  inches,  and  from  level  of  rail  to  top  of 
chimney,  14  feet  8  inches;  length  of  engine,  24  feet; 
weight  of  engine,  30  tons  ;  tender,  1 5  tons.  Later  the 
tubes  were  increased  to  300,  making  the  total  heating 
surface  1/67  square  feet,  and,  as  already  explained, 
an  extra  pair  of  supporting  wheels  were  added  be- 
tween the  driving  and  leading  wheels.  The  average 
coal  consumption  of  these  engines  was  extremely  low, 
only  about  27  Ibs.  per  mile. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  thirty  engines  of  the 
'  Great  Western '  class,  giving  also  the  distance  run  by 
each  before  being  rebuilt :— 


Broad  Gauge  Locomotives.  187 

BROAD  GAUGE  ENGINES — GREAT  WESTERN  CLASS.* 


Name  of  Engine. 

Builder. 

Built. 

Rebuilt  or 
Condemned. 

Total 
Mileage 
before 
Renewal. 

Great  Western, 

G.W.R. 

April    1846 

Dec.     1870 

370,687 

Iron  Duke,    . 

April    1847 

Oct.      1871 

607,412 

Lightning,     . 

April    1847 

April    1878 

816,601 

Great  Britain, 

July      1847 

Oct.      1880 

403,644 

Emperor, 

Sept.    1847 

June    1873 

690,225 

Pasha,  . 

Nov.    1847 

June    1876 

613,038 

Sultan,  . 

Nov.     1847 

Aug.     1876 

727,300 

Courier,' 

June    1848 

Nov.    1877 

746,120 

Tartar,  . 

July     1848 

Aug.     1876 

731,817 

Dragon, 

Aug.     1  848 

Dec.     1872 

670,757 

Warlock, 

Aug.     1  848 

June    1874 

639,410 

Wizard, 

Sept.    184*. 

Nov.     1875 

711,908 

Rougemont,  . 

Oct.      1848 

Aug.     1879 

772,401 

Hirondelle,   . 

Dec.     1848 

May     1873 

605,010 

Tornado, 

Mar.     1  849 

Mar.     1  88  1 

688,000 

Swallow, 

June     1849 

Aug.     1871 

569,232 

Timour, 

Aug.     1849 

Nov.     1871 

569,893 

Prometheus,  . 

Mar.     1850 

June    1870 

538,025 

Perseus, 

June    1850 

Dec.     1880 

722,458 

Estafette, 

Sept.    1850 

June    1870 

504,544 

Rover,  . 

Sept.    1850 

June    1871 

46i,344 

Amazon, 

Mar.     1851 

July      1877 

729,840 

Lord   of  the  Isles 

(Built    1850,    com- 

menced      work 

1852), 

5) 

July      1852 

July      1881 

789,300 

Alma,    . 

Rothwell 

Nov.     1854 

June    1872 

444,600 

Balaclava, 

, 

Dec.     1854 

Nov.     1871 

406,425 

Inkerman, 

> 

Mar.     1855 

Oct.     1877 

650,220 

Kertch,          .       '  . 

5 

April    1855 

Dec.     1872 

326,246 

Crimea, 

J 

May     1855 

Sept.    1878 

605,701 

Eupatoria, 

May     1855 

Oct.      1878 

618,275 

Sevastopol,    . 

5 

July     1855 

Oct.     1880 

707,148 

When  the  Great  Western   Railway  first  started  it 
had,  with  other  improvements,  introduced  brake  vans 


The  Locomotive  Engine  and  Us  Development. 


1 88      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

for  the  guards  to  travel  by,  instead  of  these  officials 
being  perched  at  the  top  of  the  carriages,  to  get  half 
frozen  by  the  cold  of  winter,  wet  through  in  the  rainy 
weather,  or  baked  by  summer  heat,  and  at  all  times  to 
run  the  risk  of  being  blinded  by  the  sparks  and  pieces 
of  coke  emitted  by  the  engine.  But  in  October  1847, 
in  consequence  of  the  great  speed  of  the  Broad  Gauge 
express  trains,  the  Directors  considered  an  additional 
precaution  necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  pas- 
sengers, so  an  iron  box  was  provided  at  the  end  of  the 
tender  for  a  '  travelling  carnage  porter,'  whose  duty 
was  to  see  that  the  train  was  attached  to  the  engine, 
and  to  report  to  the  driver  any  signal  made  by  the 
guards  or  passengers  in  the  train.  The  following 
circular,  which  was  issued  by  the  superintendent  of 
the  Great  Western  Railway,  sets  forth  in  full  the 
duties  of  this  new  train  attendant. 

'  On  and  after  the  4th  day  of  October  1847,  a  man, 
to  be  called  the  "travelling  carriage  porter,"  will 
accompany  every  express  train  in  each  direction.  The 
business  of  this  man  will  be  to  ride  on  the  seat  placed 
for  him  on  the  tenders,  and  to  keep  a  steady  and  vigil- 
ant look  out  on  both  sides  and  along  the  top  of  the 
trains,  so  that  in  case  of  any  accident  to  any  of  the 
carriages  of  the  train,  or  of  any  signal  from  the  guard, 
or  any  apparently  sufficient  cause  that  may  come  to 
his  observation,  he  may  at  once  communicate  with  the 
engine  man,  and,  if  necessary,  stop  the  train.  Further, 
it  will  be  his  business,  generally,  to  have  charge  of  the 
carriages  forming  the  train,  to  see  that  in  every  respect 
they  are  in  good  condition  and  properly  coupled  up, 
the  axles  greased  and  the  lamps  (at  night)  burning 
properly,  and  he  will  alight  immediately  the  train 
stops,  and  go  to  the  axle  boxes  of  the  carriages  and 
grease  and  examine  them,  and  see  that  they  are  all  in 
proper  order  for  travelling.  And  in  case  at  any  one 
station  he  may  have  noticed  any  one  or  more  boxes 
getting  hot,  he  must  turn  his  first  attention  to  these. 


Broad  Gauge  Locomotives.  189 

He  will  in  a  like  manner  examine  the  couplings  and 
the  lamps,  and  call  the  attention  of  the  lamp-man  at 
the  station  to  any  deficiencies.  He  will  report  to  the 
principal  guard  every  circumstance  connected  with  the 
train  which  may  require  notice.  He  will  be  required 
to  observe  carefully  the  running  of  the  different 
carriages,  and  to  take  note  of  the  number  of  any  one 
that  may  appear  to  run  unsteady,  or  have  any  other 
defect,  and  to  enter  a  note  of  this  and  of  any  other 
circumstance,  such  as  hot  axles,  etc.,  requiring  to  be 
remedied,  in  a  report  book  to  be  made  up  for  each 
journey.  The  travelling  carriage  porter  will  be  fur- 
nished with  a  pilot  coat,  etc.,  in  addition  to  his  present 
suit,  with  grease  box,  grease  knife,  picker,  lamps,  etc. 
Their  pay  will  be  255.  per  week,  and  the  men  will  be 
selected  from  the  body  of  porters,'  and  the  appoint- 
ment will  be  considered  a  reward  for  good  and  steady 
conduct,  general  intelligence  and  acquaintance  with 
the  management  of  the  carriages. 

'  SEYMOUR  CLARKE,  Superintendent. 
'PADDINGTON,  26th  September  1847.' 

So  bigoted  were  the  Narrow  Gauge  enthusiasts 
that  they  claimed  this  new  departure  of  the  Great 
Western  Railway  as  a  further  proof  of  the  superiority 
of  the  Narrow  Gauge,  having  the  audacity  to  state  that 
the  Broad  Gauge  had  to  go  back  to  the  original 
Narrow  Gauge  method  of  having  a  man  outside  the 
train  to  see  that  all  was  right,  and  yet  they  would  not 
own  that  the  person  in  the  sentry  box,  '  or  iron  coffin  ' 
as  they  called  it,  on  the  tender,  was  better  protected 
than  the  guard  perched  on  the  top  of  the  carriage  on 
the  Narrow  Gauge  trains.  Here  are  the  views  of  one  of 
the  enlightened  Narrow  Gauge  officials  as  expressed  by 
him  at  the  time  the  Great  Western  introduced  these 
travelling  porters  : — '  The  placing  a  guard  outside  the 
train  has  always  been  the  practice  on  the  Narrow 
Gauge  railways,  and  the  not  doing  so,  but,  on  the 


190      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

contrary,  placing  both  the  guards  inside  the  carriages, 
where  they  might  duly  go  to  sleep  among  their  parcels, 
was  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  Broad  Gauge 
on  which  they  particularly  piqued  themselves.  It 
now  seems  that  the  Broad  Gauge  authorities  have 
relinquished  their  peculiar  arrangement  and  adopted 
the  much  more  sensible  practice  of  the  Narrow  Gauge 
companies.  They  are  quite  right  in  doing  this, 
although  one  does  not  exactly  see  that  the  discontinu- 
ance of  an  absurd  practice  requires  to  be  puffed  in  the 
Times.  The  position  of  the  guard  on  the  tender  (as  the 
Great  Western  authorities  propose  to  place  him)  instead 
of  on  the  last  carriage  (as  he  is  generally  placed  on 
Narrow  Gauge  trains)  appears  to  me  to  be  no  improve- 
ment, for,  in  the  first  place,  the  fireman,  who  is  already  on 
the  tender,  if  he  obeyed  his  printed  instructions,  should 
keep  an  eye  on  the  train.  The  arrangement,  therefore, 
now  at  length,  in  deference  to  common  sense,  adopted 
on  the  Great  Western  is  still,  as  it  seems,  a  very  imper- 
fect application  of  the  practice  which  has  always  been 
pursued  on  the  Narrow  Gauge  system  of  railways.' 

Later  on,  when  an  efficient  system  of  communication 
between  the  guards  and  the  men  on  the  engine  had  been 
established,  the  '  travelling  porters  '  were  withdrawn. 

Besides  the  engines  of  the  '  Great  Western '  class, 
the  Great  Western  Railway  had  built  other  powerful 
engines  at  Swindon,  twenty-four  being  turned  out  be- 
ween  April  1846  and  September  1847.  Among  these 
were  the  '  Queen,'  a  six-wheel  passenger  locomotive 
with  single  driving  wheels,  7  feet  diameter ;  cylinder, 
1 6  inches  diameter;  24  inch  stroke;  boiler  and  fire- 
box, 14  feet  long;  weight  of  engine,  25  tons;  tender, 
9  tons.  The  '  Premier/  a  goods  engine  with  six 
coupled  wheels  of  5  feet  diameter,  the  other  dimen- 
sions being  similar  to  those  of  the  '  Great  Western  ' ; 
when  tried,  this  engine  drew  a  train  weighing  483  tons 
at  about  30  miles  an  hour.  Another  passenger 
engine,  designed  by  Mr  Brunei  and  built  by  Mr  Gooch, 
was  the  '  Elk,'  a  six-wheel  engine  with  7  feet  single 


Broad  Gauge  Locomotives.  191 

drivers;  cylinder,  16  inches ;  stroke,  18  inches  ;  boiler 
and  fire-box,  14  feet  long  ;  weight  of  engine.  25  tons  ; 
tender  (empty),  9  tons.  This  engine  drew  trains  of 
six  carriages  from  Swindon  to  Paddington,  77^  miles, 
in  80  minutes. 

We  think  we  have  now  given  a  sufficient  account 
of  the  Broad  Gauge  engines  of  this  period  ;  but  while 
on  the  subject  it  will  be  as  well  to  mention  the 
equally  famous  Broad  Gauge  engines  constructed  by 
the  Bristol  and  Exeter  Railway  in  1853. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Great  Western 
Railway  worked  the  Bristol  and  Exeter  under  a  lease 
at  a  rental  of  .£71,957  a  year,  and  a  toll  of  a  ^d.  a 


BRISTOL  AND  EXETER  TANK  ENGINE. 
9  ft.  driving  wheels,  leading  and  trailing  bogies  ;  wheels,  4  ft.  diameter. 

mile  on  every  passenger  carried,  and  also  the  same 
amount  per  mile  for  every  ton  of  goods  conveyed 
over  the  line.  This  lease  expired  on  3Oth  April  1849, 
so  that  from  that  date  the  Bristol  and  Exeter  Com- 
pany had  their  own  locomotives  and  rolling  stock. 
These  at  first  were  built  by  private  firms,  but  afterwards 
the  company  had  works  of  its  own  at  Bridgewater. 
Mr  Pearson  was  the  engineer  of  the  Bristol  and 
Exeter  Railway,  and  his  patriotism  for  the  Broad 
Gauge  brought  forth  the  renowned  9  feet  single  tank 
engines,  which  were  built  from  his  design  by  Roth  well 
and  Company,  Union  Foundry,  Bolton.  These  engines 


192      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

soon  gained  fame  among  railway  engineers  for  their 
low  coke  consumption  (only   21%  Ibs.  per   mile),  and 
were  still  more  famous  to  the  public  at  large  by  the 
high  speed  they  attained  ;  in  fact,  one  of  these  engines 
was  credited  with  the  highest  authenticated  speed  until 
very  recently,  and  now  it  is  only  the  Americans  who 
claim    to  have  exceeded    it ;   and   since   the    Yankee 
claim  to  '  lick  creation '  in  so  many  things  we  cannot 
be  surprised  that   they  have  at  last  taken    credit    to 
themselves  for  the  fastest  locomotive  run  on  record. 
Returning   to    the    speed   attained    by    Mr    Pearson's 
Broad    Gauge   tank    engine,    we   find   that   81    miles 
an  hour  was  the  highest  rate  of  travelling   officially 
credited  for  one  of  these  splendid  locomotives.     This 
was    forty-one  years  ago,  and    it   has    taken  our   go- 
a-head  cousins  across  the  '  herring  pond.'  nearly  this 
number  of  years  before   they  claim    to    have   beaten 
this  speed  record  of  the  old  time  Bristol  and  Exeter 
Tank.     These  engines  had  ten  wheels,  and  the  prin- 
cipal dimensions  were — a  leading  and  trailing  bogie, 
each  with  four  wheels  of  4  feet  diameter,  and  a  pair  of 
9  feet  driving  wheels  without  flanges ;  the  boiler  was 
4  feet  i  inch  diameter,  10  feet  9  inches  long,  and  con- 
tained 1 80  tubes  of  i  |f.  inch  diameter;  the  cylinders 
were    i6|  inches  diameter  by  24  inch  stroke;  weight 
of  engine,  42   tons.     When    the    Bristol  and   Exeter 
and  Great  Western    Railways  were    amalgamated   in 
1876,  these  9  feet  tanks  were  rebuilt,  the  diameter  of 
the  driving  wheels  was    reduced  to  8  feet,  the  trail- 
ing   bogie  was    removed,   and  a  pair  of  wheels  sub- 
stituted, and  lastly  a  tender  was  added — a   complete 
metamorphosis    of    a   locomotive    from   a    tank    to   a 
tender  engine — a  practice   not    usually  followed,    but 
which  the   Great  Western    Railway  again  did   a  few 
years  back,  when  the  '  Cornishman  '  was  inaugurated, 
which  train,  not  stopping  between   Exeter  and    Ply- 
mouth,   and    the   line    beyond     Newton     being    very 
severe  for  passenger  tender  engines,  three  of  the  tank 
engines  used  on    this    section    had   tenders  added   to 


N 


Broad  Gauge  Locomotives.  195 

enable    sufficient   water    to   be    carried,    so    that   the 
whole  53  miles  could  be  run  without  a  stop. 

These  engines  were  built  at  Swindon  in  1885,  and 
had  a  pair  of  leading  wheels  3  feet  6  inches  in  diameter, 
4  coupled  wheels  5  feet  diameter,  cylinders  18  inches 
by  26  inches,  their  wheel  base  being,  leading  to  driv- 
ing, 9  feet  3  inches,  driving  to  trailing,  7  feet  9  inches. 
Ten  of  them  were  built,  and  Nos.  3502,  3505  and 
3508  were,  in  1890,  converted  into  tender  engines,  for 
the  purpose  above  mentioned.  The  tenders  were  of 
the  type  used  with  the  2080  class  of  goods  engines. 

Another  innovation  in  railway  locomotion  intro- 
duced by  the  Bristol  and  Exeter  Railway  was  that  of 
combined  engine  and  carnage  for  branch  line  traffic. 
This  combination  was  constructed^  by  Mr  Adams,  of 
Fairfield  Works,  Bow,  E.,  and  was  called  the  '  Fairfield,' 
and  was  first  used  on  the  Tiverton  branch  on  25th 
December  1848  ;  its  length  was  39  feet,  and  the  boiler 
was  placed  in  a  vertical  position.  The  driving  wheels 
were  4  feet  6  inches  diameter,  and  made  of  solid 
wrought  iron  ;  and  trailing  wheels  3  feet  6  inches, 
of  wood,  and  running  independently  on  their  axles  as 
well  as  their  journals,  the  middle  wheel  having  a  lateral 
transverse  of  6  inches.  The  boiler  was  tubular  and 
vertical,  3  feet  in  diameter  and  6  feet  high ;  the  fire- 
box 2  feet  high  and  2  feet  6  inches  in  diameter. 
The  cylinder  was  8  inches  diameter,  with  12  inch 
stroke  ;  the  connecting  rods  worked  a  separate  crank 
shaft,  which  communicated  with  the  driving  wheels  by 
side  rods,  the  axle  of  the  driving  wheels  being  straight, 
with  crank  pins  on  the  outside.  The  boiler  was 
placed  behind  the  driving  axle  ;  the  tank,  capable  of 
holding  220  gallons  of  water,  being  in  front  of  it,  and 
the  coke  box  was  attached  to  the  front  part  of  the 
carriage  behind  the  driver. 

'  The  bottom  of  the  framing  is  within  9  inches  of 
the  rails,  so  that,  by  keeping  the  centre  of  gravity 
low,  greater  safety  may  be  insured  at  high  speed, 
and  freedom  from  oscillation  obtained.  The  first- 


196      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

class  carriage  is  in  the  form  of  a  saloon,  and  accom- 
modates sixteen  passengers,  while  the  second-class 
compartment  is  seated  for  thirty-two.  The  entire 
weight  of  the  machine  was  about  10  tons,  when  occu- 
pied with  forty-eight  passengers  it  will  amount  to 
about  I2itons,  On  the  experimental  trip,  on  the  8th 
December  1848,  the  '  Fairfield  '  left  Paddington  Station 
at  10.30.  A.M.  for  Swindon,  77  miles  down  the  line, 
with  a  party  of  gentlemen  connected  with  various 
railways.  Mr  Gooch  officiated  as  driver  on  both  the  up 
and  down  journeys.  Though  the  rails  were  greasy 
from  the  prevailing  rain,  in  addition  to  a  head  wind, 
and.  what  was  worse,  a  leak  in  the  boiler,  the  machine 
soon  attained  considerable  speed,  and  for  a  portion  of 
the  way  reached  the  rate  of  49  miles  an  hour.  On 
arriving  at  Swindon  the  fire  was  extinguished,  the 
leak  partially  repaired,  and  after  a  reasonable  sojourn 
the  party  returned  to  town.  The  run  back  was  ex- 
ceedingly satisfactory,  the  speed  of  49  miles  being 
maintained  for  a  considerable  part  of  the  way.  The 
passage  from  Slough  to  Paddington  being  performed 
in  30  minutes.' 

Mr  Gooch  also  designed  and  built  at  Swindon  a 
very  powerful  class  of  saddle  tank  engines — probably 
the  first  saddle  tank  locomotives  constructed.  The 
engines  of  this  class,  and  of  which  the  '  Corsair '  was 
the  prototype,  and  which  were  further  developed  in 
the  '  Pluto '  class,  were  used  for  hauling  the  trains 
over  the  severe  gradients  on  the  South  Devon  Rail- 
way until  the  conversion  of  the  line  to  the  Narrow 
Gauge.  The  principal  features  were  a  leading  bogie  ; 
wheels,  3  feet  6  inches  diameter,  and  four  coupled 
wheels,  6  feet  diameter;  inside  cylinders,  17  inch 
by  24  inch  stroke ;  boiler,  10  feet  6  inches  long, 
with  saddle  tank  on  top ;  fire-box,  4  feet  1 1  inches 
in  length;  total  length,  25  feet  lof  inches,  or  over 
buffers,  27  feet  7  inches ;  extreme  height,  top  of 
chimney  to  rail,  14  feet  10  inches ;  weight,  35!-  tons. 
The  brake  fitted  to  the  early  engines  of  this  class 


Broad  Gauge  Locomotives. 


197 


was  a  curious  contrivance,  consisting  of  sledges  of 
iron  suspended  over'  the  rails  between  the  driving 
and  trailing  wheels ;  it  was  applied  by  means  of  a 
screw  which  forced  the  iron  blocks  upon  the  surface 
of  the  rails,  and  this  transferred  the  weight  of  the  engine 
from  the  wheels  to  the  sledge  brake — the  brakes  used 
on  the  cable  cars  on  Highgate  Hill  were  on  much  the 
same  principle.  Another  great  innovation  in  locomo- 


'THE  HUNCHBACKS.'    A  South  Devon  Saddle  Tank,  designed  by  Mr  D.  Gooch. 


tives  introduced  by  Mr  Gooch  on  the  Broad  Gauge 
was  the  coupling  of  two  pairs  of  wheels,  each  7  feet  in 
diameter.  This  was  in  1855,  and  such  large  coupled 
wheels  were  then  unheard  of,  so  that  there  is  no  doubt 
that  at  that  time  the  Broad  Gauge  was  still  far  ahead 
of  its  competitors  in  the  matter  of  locomotive  develop- 
ment. Ten  of  the  engines  were  constructed  by  Robert 
Stephenson  for  the  Great  Western  Railway,  the 


198      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

general  characteristics  of  which  (excepting  the  coupled 
wheels)  were  similar  to  the  renowned  '  Great  Western.' 

While  on  the  subject  of  Broad  Gauge  engines 
mention  must  be  made  of  the  celebrated  tank  loco- 
motives used  to  work  the  heavy  mineral  traffic  over 
the  steep  gradients  on  the  Vale  of  Neath  Railway, 
one  bank  of  I  in  50  being  4^-  miles  long — a  loaded 
Broad  Gauge  truck  weighed  15  tons — and  to  convey 
trains  of  these  a  class  of  six  coupled  tank  engines  was 
constructed  with  wheels  4  feet  9  inches  diameter ; 
cylinders,  17  inches  diameter;  stroke,  24  inches;  gross 
weight,  40  tons.  Upon  one  occasion  one  of  these 
engines  hauled  a  train  of  twenty-five  loaded  trucks, 
weighing  375  tons,  or  including  the  engine,  a  total 
weight  of  415  tons  upon  a  bank  of  i  in  90  for  a  dis- 
tance of  4^-  miles.  This  remarkable  and  unsurpassed 
performance  is  equal  to  conveying  a  gross  weight  of 
1 245  tons  on  a  level  line  ;  and  at  the  present  time,  under 
the  most  favourable  conditions  attainable  in  summer, 
the  London  and  North  Western  Railway  consider  a 
train  of  less  than  700  tons  travelling  over  the  good 
gradients  of  its  main  line  at  an  average  speed  of 
15  miles  an  hour  a  noteworthy  performance.  Yet, 
in  effect,  the  Broad  Gauge  engines  exceeded  this 
accomplishment  more  than  forty  years  ago.  But  we 
have  already  written  in  praise  of  Broad  Gauge  engines 
satis  s^lperque. 

The  last  Broad  Gauge  engines  constructed  were 
eight  of  the  '  Ironclad'  class,  built  at  the  end  of  1891 
and  beginning  of  1892.  These  were  really  Narrow 
Gauge  engines,  with  the  wheels  placed  outside  the 
frames,  to  adapt  them  temporarily  to  the  Broad  Gauge. 


CHAPTER     XV. 

THE    SOUTH    DEVON    RAILWAY. 

THE  Broad  Gauge  having  extended  its  trunk  line  as 
far  as  Exeter,  no  time  was  lost  by  the  promoters  and 
adherents  of  the  wide  gauge  in  still  further  extending 
its  lines  to  the  westward,  so,  early  in  1844,  the  South 
Devon  Railway,  from  Exeter  to  Plymouth,  was  pro- 
jected. The  public  being  already  familiar  with  the  many 
advantages  and  increased  speed  of  the  Broad  Gauge 
railways  ;  two  further  novelties  were  introduced  into 
the  South  Devon  Railway,  viz.,  the  daring  con- 
struction of  a  railway  along  the  seashore  from  Star- 
cross  to  Teignmouth,  and  the  use  of  the  atmospheric 
system  in  place  of  locomotives  as  a  propelling  power. 
The  Bill  was  read  a  first  time  on  29th  February  1844, 
but  the  Admiralty  stopped  the  second  reading  of  it  on 
the  4th  March,  as  it  was  alleged  that  the  line  along 
the  front  at  Dawlish  was  dangerous  to  the  local  fisher- 
men. Mr  Walker,  the  engineer,  was  sent  to  Devon- 
shire by  the  Admiralty  to  report  on  this  line  and  an 
opposition  line  which  took  a  more  inland  direction. 

We  extract  from  his  report  the  following  para- 
graphs : — '  Notwithstanding  that  the  coast  line  be- 
tween Exeter  and  where  it  leaves  the  Teign  is  3  miles 
longer  than  that  portion  of  the  inland  line  which  would 
compare  with  it,  I  consider  that  its  being  nearly  level 
for  the  whole  length,  and  the  much  greater  population 
upon  it,  whose  convenience  is  to  be  considered,  gives 
it  a  preference  over  the  inland  line,  which,  on  leaving 

Exeter,  has  first  a  long  rapid  ascent  of  i  in  75  for  3f 

199 


2oo      A  History  of  t lie  Great  Western  Railway. 

miles,  then  a  tunnel  f-  of  a  mile  long,  then  a  series  of 
descents.' 

'  First.  Keeping  the  general  line  of  railway  closer  to 
the  cliffs,  cutting  off  the  projections  to  enable  this  to 
be  done,  so  that  the  necessary  width  may  be  obtained 
chiefly  out  of  the  cliff.  Second.  Forming  at  proper 
distances  sloping  ways  of  approach  of  sufficient  length, 
from  the  beach  to  the  level  of  the  railway,  wherever 
the  coast  is  encroached  upon.  These  would  act  as 
groynes  or  jetties,  to  stop  and  collect  on  either  side  of 
them  the  gravel  or  sand  as  it  is  driven  along  the  shore 
by  the  heavy  seas,  so  that  the  beach  would  probably 
be  kept  as  high  as  the  retaining  wall.  Third.  As  a 
parapet  wall  must  be  raised  above  the  level  of  the 
railway  to  protect  it  and  the  trains  from  the  winds,  and 
occasionally  the  waves,  I  think  that  this  parapet  wall 
should,  for  the  whole  length  upon  the  river  and  coast 
—say  from  Powderham  to  Teignmouth — be  nowhere 
less  than  6  or  8  feet  inside  the  retaining  or  embank- 
ment wall,  leaving  the  space  between  the  embankment 
and  the  parapet  as  a  public  way  for  the  convenience  of 
fishermen  and  mariners,  and  as  a  public  walk  or  com- 
munication. This  might  probably  be  considered  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  town  an  equivalent  for  the 
facilities  which  the  railway  may  in  other  respects 
deprive  them  of,  so  as  to  leave  the  balance  in  their 
favour.' 

The  total  length  of  the  proposed  line  was  51 
miles  72  chains,  exclusive  of  a  branch  to  Mill  Bay, 
Plymouth  (67  chains  long),  which  had  a  fall  of  i  in  24, 
and  was  not  proposed  to  be  worked  by  locomotives. 
In  it  was  a  stiff  rise  of  i  in  42  for  2^  miles  up  the 
Dainton  Bank  beyond  Newton  Abbot.  There  would 
be  four  tunnels  through  the  hard,  red  conglomerate, 
and  the  town  of  Teignmouth  would  be  cut  in  two, 
there  being  no  less  than  fourteen  road  bridges  there. 
Twelve  miles  of  the  course  was  along  the  border  of 
Dartmoor.  It  crossed  the  Yealm  Valley  on  two 
wooden  viaducts,  each  240  yards  long,  one  of  which 


The  South  Devon  Railway.  201 

was  on  a  curve  of  25  chains  radius,  and  on  an  incline 
of  i  in  236.  The  estimated  cost  of  constructing  the 
line  was  ,£1,000,000.  Such  were  the  facts  as  given 
in  evidence.  This  Bill  sought  powers  to  buy  up  the 
Plymouth  and  Dartmoor  Railway,  and  to  alter  the 
gauge  of  same,  it  being  a  Narrow  Gauge  line  used  to 
bring  granite  from  the  quarries  on  Dartmoor  to  Sutton 
Harbour  at  Plymouth. 

The  railway  was  duly  incorporated,  the  Act 
receiving  the  royal  assent  4th  July  1844,  with  a 
capital  of  £1,000,000,  of  which  the  Great  Western 
Railway  subscribed  £150,000,  the  Bristol  and  Exeter 
£200,000,  and  the  Midland  (or  more  properly  the 
Birmingham  and  Gloucester)  £50,000.  There  were 
ten  directors,  of  which  the  Great  Western  sent  four, 
Bristol  and  Exeter  Railway  five,  and  the  Midland  two. 

The  work  of  constructing  the  line  was  commenced 
immediately  after  the  Act  was  obtained,  the  line 
commencing  with  a  viaduct  through  Exeter.  Beyond 
this  the  line  has  a  very  level  stretch  until  it  approaches 
the  river  bank  at  Powderham  Castle.  The  construc- 
tion of  the  line  at  this  point  was  brought  to  a  com- 
plete standstill  for  four  months  by  a  curious  natural 
phenomenon.  The  stone  to  form  this  river  wall  was 
sent  in  ships,  which  were  to  be  unloaded  at  the  spots 
where  the  material  was  required.  Usually  at  high 
tide  there  would  be  sufficient  water  to  enable  the 
boats  to  approach  close  to  the  river  bank  for  the 
purpose  of  unloading,  but,  unfortunately,  for  four 
months,  a  strong  contrary  wind  continued  to  blow, 
which  prevented  the  tides  rising  to  their  normal 
height,  and,  therefore,  the  ships  were  unable  to  unload 
the  stone,  and  were  compelled  to  wait  in  mid-stream 
during  the  whole  period ;  but  at  last  the  wind  died 
away,  and  the  boats  could  then  approach  the  shore  to 
unload  the  stone,  and  the  work  of  building  the 
embankment  was  commenced  and  everything  possible 
done  to  make  up  for  the  extraordinary  delay.  The 
next  portion  of  the  line  between  Starcross  and  Lang- 


2O2      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

stone  Cliff  was  also  difficult  to  construct.  The 
traveller  over  this  part  of  the  line  will  notice,  at  high 
tide,  on  either  hand,  the  sea  water,  and  at  low  tide,  in 
place  of  water,  a  large  expanse  of  mud. 

The  original  idea  was  to  construct  an  embankment 
across  the  Cockwood  Swamp,  and  although  the  soil 
was  excavated  to  a  depth  of  40  feet,  no  firm  founda- 
tion could  be  found  ;  then  the  idea  of  George  Stephen- 
son,  of  laying  down  faggots,  which  he  successfully 
carried  out  at  Chat  Moss,  was  tried,  with  no  better 
success,  until  at  last  a  wooden  viaduct  was  constructed 
over  the  swamp,  being  finished  in  December  1845. 
From  Langstone  Cliff  to  Dawlish  the  line  is  con- 
structed upon  a  raised  terrace  built  on  the  seashore, 
with  the  red  cliffs  for  a  background.  At  Dawlish 
the  railway  is  continued  on  an  embankment,  which 
entirely  separates  the  town  from  the  seashore,  so  that 
the  houses  on  the  front  facing  the  sea  have  immedi- 
ately in  front  of  them  a  railway  (instead  of  the  usual 
marine  promenade)  and  beyond  this  the  sea.  The 
work  of  construction  beyond  Dawlish  was  more 
difficult,  consisting  of  several  short  tunnels  cut  through 
the  cliff,  these  tunnels  being  connected  by  terraces  cut 
out  of  the  face  of  the  cliff,  the  seashore  being  on  the 
other  hand.  The  principal  one  of  these  tunnels  is  the 
last,  known  as  the  Parson's  Rock  Tunnel,  366  yards 
long.  From  this  point  to  Teignmouth  a  massive  sea 
wall  was  constructed  of  stone,  the  railway  being  on 
the  side  immediately  under  the  cliffs,  a  parapet  wall 
separating  the  line  from  the  other  half  of  the  sea  wall, 
which  was  laid  out  for  a  public  promenade.  The 
construction  of  this  part  of  the  line  was  attended  with 
many  difficulties,  as  although  extensive  stone  break- 
waters were  built,  several  times  large  portions  of  the 
massive  embankment  were  washed  away  during  the 
gales  in  the  winter  of  1845.  To  break  the  force  of 
the  waves  as  much  as  possible,  the  wall  facing  the  sea 
was  built  with  a  concave  front.  Turning  inland,  we 
arrive  at  the  Teignmouth  Station.  The  original  head- 


The  South  Devon  Railway.  203 

quarters  of  the  South  Devon  Railway  Company,  the 
primitive  apology  for  a  station,  or  '  Noah's  Ark '  as  it 
is  locally  called,  disgraced  the  Great  Western  Railway 
until  very  recently ;  but  better  things  are  in  store,  for 
eighteen  months  ago  the  foundation  for  a  new  station 
was  commenced,  and  the  modern  structure  will  very 
shortly  be  completed.  Beyond  Teignmouth  Station 
the  line  curves  to  the  right  and  runs  up  the  bank  of 
the  Teign  to  Newton  Abbot. 

Up  to  this  point  the  line  is  practically  level, 
the  ruling  gradient  being  i  in  660,  but  beyond, 
the  conformation  of  the  country  is  very  unsuitable 
for  the  purposes  of  constructing  a  railway  with 
good  gradients.  This  drawback  did  not  at  the  time 
trouble  Mr  Brunei,  the  engineej  to  the  South 
Devon  Railway  Company,  since  he  proposed  to 
work  the  line  on  the  atmospheric  principle,  and  one 
of  the  advantages  claimed  for  the  system  being  that 
steep  banks  were  as  easy  to  work  as  a  level.  There- 
fore the  rise  of  i  in  43  for  a  distance  of  nearly  4 
miles,  with  the  Dainton  Tunnel  at  the  summit, 
was  constructed ;  the  line  then  falls  for  5  miles 
at  i  in  40,  and  then,  after  passing  Totnes,  for 
a  further  5  miles,  there  is  a  rise  of  i  in  48,  termin- 
ating with  the  Marley  Tunnel.  The  inhabitants  of 
this  part  of  the  country,  being  unacquainted  with  rail- 
way works,  took  a  great  interest  in  the  construction 
of  this  short  tunnel,  not  half  a  mile  in  length,  and 
on  the  last  length  of  masonry  being  completed, 
on  23d  December  1846,  a  procession  was  arranged, 
the  contractor  and  engineer  driving  through  the 
tunnel,  and  over  twenty  of  the  neighbouring  gentry 
accompanying  them  on  horseback.  The  tunnel  was 
lighted  by  torchlight,  and  '  upon  the  cavalcade  emerg- 
ing from  the  west  end  of  the  tunnel,  it  was  heartily 
cheered  by  the  crowds  assembled,  while  Lady  Carew, 
a  local  landowner,  was  much  pleased  with  the  pro- 
ceeding, and  gave  the  workmen  engaged  a  dinner  in 
commemoration  of  the  event.' 


204      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Even  at  this  early  period  a  railway  was  proposed 
to  Kingsbridge,  and  a  station  erected  at  Wranger- 
ton  (now  called  Kingsbridge  Road),  selected  for  the 
convenient  approach  of  the  projected  branch  from 
Kingsbridge.  Never  has  so  long  a  time  elapsed 
in  railway  history  before  the  realization  of  the  pro- 
ject has  been  fulfilled,  for  the  opening  of  the  line  is 
one  of  the  latest  events  in  the  history  of  the  Great 
Western  Railway,  only  taking  place  in  the  autumn 
of  1893.  Up  to  that  time  very  many  of  the  natives 
had  never  seen  a  railway  or  locomotive  engine, 
although  it  was  in  1845  when  the  line  was  first 
projected. 

We  now  come  to  the  most  remarkable  portion 
of  the  South  Devon  Railway,  Brunei's  wonderful 
wooden  trestle  viaducts,  of  which  there  are  four  in 
the  next  few  miles  of  line.  The  construction  of 
these  considerably  delayed  the  opening  of  this  line ; 
at  first,  when  it  was  intended  to  work  the  line  by 
the  atmospheric  system,  fir  was  the  wood  used,  but 
after  Brunei's  remarkable  change  of  opinion,  when 
he  decided  on  using  locomotives,  these  viaducts  had 
to  be  rebuilt  of  American  oak,  and  indeed  afterwards 
iron  girders  were  inserted  within  the  woodwork,  so 
that  the  frailty  of  these  curious  structures  was  more 
fanciful  than  real.  Their  construction  is  thus  de- 
scribed in  Mr  Brunei's  interesting  life  of  his  father  :— 

'  The  piers  are  formed  of  plain  walls  built  up  to  35 
feet  below  the  level  of  the  rails,  those  of  the  more 
lofty  viaducts  being  strengthened  by  buttresses.  St 
Pinnock  is  the  loftiest  viaduct  on  the  Cornwall  Rail- 
way, the  rails  being  at  a  height  of  153  feet  above  the 
ground.  A  description  of  the  superstructure  will 
serve  to  explain  the  design  of  the  principal  viaducts  on 
the  line. 

The  roadway  planking  rests  on  three  beams,  which 
run  longitudinally  throughout  the  whole  length  of  the 
viaduct.  Each  of  these  beams  consists  of  two  pieces 
of  timber,  one  above  the  other,  fastened  together  by 


The  Soitih  Devon  Railway.  205 

bolts  and  joggles.  The  piers  are  66  feet  apart,  centre 
to  centre,  and  the  longitudinal  beams  are  supported  at 
four  nearly  equi-distant  points  in  this  space  by  straight 
single  timbers  radiating  from  the  tops  of  the  piers. 
The  feet  of  the  timbers,  which  rest  on  the  masonry  in 
cast-iron  shoes,  are  connected  together  by  wrought- 
iron  tie  bars,  and  the  framework  is  made  rigid  by  iron 
diagonals.  The  diagonal  braces  which  are  attached  to 
each  set  of  the  main  timbers  give  transverse  stability 
to  the  superstructure.' 

Although  most  of  these  viaducts  are  found  on 
the  Cornwall  Railway  we  may  as  well  ( here  de- 
scribe them.  When  the  South  Devon  and  Corn- 
wall Railways  were  completed  there  were  some  sixty 
of  these  wooden  viaducts  in  Devon  and  Cornwall, 
forty-two  of  them  being  found  in  the  66  miles 
between  Plymouth  and  Falmouth,  nine  of  which 
occur  in  the  8  miles  between  Devonport  and  St 
Germans,  and  seven  in  the  12  miles  from  Truro  to 
Falmouth.  Two  of  these  trestle  bridges  are  each 
more  than  a  1000  feet  long,  and  at  Truro  is  a  pair 
close  together,  the  combined  length  of  which  is  nearly 
half  a  mile.  The  following  are  the  principal  via- 
ducts: — The  'Rattery,'  between  Totnes  and  Brent, 
consists  of  six  spans  of  50  feet  each,  at  an  elevation 
of  50  feet,  while  beyond  Brent  is  another,  72  feet 
high  ;  The  'Erme'  Viaduct,  near  Ivy  Bridge,  no  feet 
in  height ;  the  '  Moorewater,'  near  Liskeard,  147  feet 
high.  This  is  the  largest  and  highest,  but  it  is  now 
rebuilt  in  granite.  While  among  the  seven  on  the 
Falmouth  branch  are  the  '  Carnon/  766  feet  long,  and 
nearly  100  feet  high  ;  the  '  Ponsanooth,'  140  feet  high, 
and  the  'Treberer'  Viaducts.  A  temporary  station 
was  opened  at  Laira  (Plymouth),  and  this  was  the 
terminus  of  the  line  for  some  time.  The  original 
station  was  to  have  been  erected  near  the  site  of  the 
present  Devonport  (Great  Western)  Station  ;  but  upon 
the  Cornwall  Railway  being  incorporated,  this  portion 
of  the  line  was  sold  to  that  company,  and  a  new  site 


206      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

for  a  joint  terminus  chosen  at  Mill  Bay.  The  progress 
of  this  extension  was  for  a  time  stopped  by  a  dispute 
which  arose  between  the  South  Devon  Railway  Com- 
pany and  the  mortgagee  in  possession  of  the  Dart- 
moor Railway,  a  line  24  miles  long,  constructed  in 
1820.  This  railway  was  crossed  on  the  level  at  right 
angles  by  the  South  Devon  line.  The  mortgagee,  not 
getting  the  terms  he  asked  from  the  South  Devon 
Railway,  brought  immense  blocks  of  granite  from  his 
Dartmoor  quarries,  and  deposited  them  on  his  line, 
where  the  South  Devon  wished  to  cross.  This  effectu- 
ally prevented  the  railway  from  proceeding  with  the 
line,  and  they  soon  arranged  a  compromise,  which  had 
the  desired  effect,  the  granite  blocks  being  then  re- 
moved by  the  mortgagee  of  the  Dartmoor  Railway. 
The  South  Devon  Railway  scheme  proved,  in  a 
measure,  disastrous  to  the  reputations  of  two  of  the 
principal  figures  of  the  Broad  Gauge  party,  for  even 
the  undoubted  genius  of  Mr  Brunei,  which  was  clearly 
exemplified  in  so  many  stupenduous  engineering  feats, 
was  not  sufficient  to  cause  the  public  to  forget  and 
forgive  his  unexampled  change  of  front  in  connection 
with  the  atmospheric  system. 

We  now  proceed  to  deal  with  the  subject  that  makes 
the  South  Devon  Railway  one  of  the  most  interesting 
lines,  not  only  in  the  history  of  the  Broad  Gauge  rail- 
ways but  in  the  history  of  the  railway  system  of  the 
world,  viz.,  the  atmospheric  principle  of  propulsion. 

The  Act  of  Incorporation  received  the  royal  assent 
on  4th  July  1844,  and  within  six  weeks  after,  the 
Directors  reported  to  the  shareholders  : — '  Since  the 
passing  of  the  Act  a  proposal  has  been  received  by 
your  Directors  from  Messrs  Samuda  Brothers,  the 
patentees  of  the  atmospheric  railway,  to  apply  their 
system  of  traction  to  the  South  Devon  line.  After 
much  deliberation  the  Board  were  induced  to  refer  the 
question  to  their  engineer,  Mr  Brunei,  for  his  opinion 
thereon  as  well,  in  reference  to  the  application  of  the 
principle  as  to  the  economy  stated  to  be  the  conse- 


The  S out k  Devon  Railway.  207 

quence  of  its  adoption.  It  was  likewise  deemed  to  be 
desirable  that  a  deputation  of  the  Directors  should 
visit  the  atmospheric  railway  now  in  operation,  from 
Kingstown  to  Dalkey,  with  a  view  to  inform  them- 
selves and  their  colleagues  of  its  peculiar  mode  of 
working,  and  of  the  actual  expenses  attendant  there- 
upon. In  pursuing  these  inquiries  every  facility  was 
politely  afforded  by  the  Directors  and  engineer  of  that 
line.  From  the  careful  consideration  given  to  the 
subject  by  Mr  Brunei,  as  well  as  from  the  deliberate 
and  very  decided  opinion  in  favour  of  the  system 
which  he  has  expressed  to  the  Board,  added  to  the 
favourable  report  of  the  deputation,  and  also  keeping 
in  view  the  fact  that  at  many  points  of  the  line  both 
gradients  and  curves  will  render  thejapplication  of  this 
principle  peculiarly  advantageous,  your  Directors,  in  the 
belief  that  it  will  be  greatly  to  the  interest  of  the 
company,  have  resolved  that  the  atmospheric  system, 
including  the  construction  of  an  electric  telegraph, 
should  be  adopted  upon  the  whole  line  of  the  South 
Devon  Railway.  On  reviewing  the  circumstances  to 
which  the  Directors  have  already  adverted,  viz.,  the 
reduced  cost  of  construction,  and  (if  the  atmospheric 
principle  be  adopted)  the  diminished  expense  of  work- 
ing, added  to  the  probability  of  an  increased  traffic, 
they  trust  they  shall  not  be  deemed  too  sanguine  in 
stating,  as  their  firm  conviction,  that  there  are  few 
railways  yet  in  operation,  or,  in  contemplation,  that 
offer  fairer  prospects  of  success  than  the  South 
Devon  line.'  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  both  the 
Directors  and  Mr  Brunei  had  from  the  first  decided 
upon  working  the  line  by  atmospheric  propulsion.  At 
the  annual  meeting  of  the  South  Devon  Railway,  held 
on  30th  August  1845,  the  following  report  from  Mr 
Samuda  was  read  : — 

'  i.  That  we  obtained  a  vacuum  of  27^  inches  in  5 
miles  of  pipe,  working  only  one  engine  over 
the  two  sections  to  obtain  it,  not  only  once, 
but  every  time,  with  ease. 


2o8       A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

'  2.  When  the  engine  is  stopped,  and  the  vacuum 
allowed  to  be  destroyed  by  leakage,  it  takes 
two  hours  to  reduce  the  barometer  to  zero 
(though  at  Dalkey  15  minutes  would  be  all 
the  time  it  could  be  maintained  above  the 
zero  point),  the  leakage  being  here  less  than 
half  horse  power  per  mile. 

'  3.  The  facility  of  obtaining  the  vacuum  is  greater, 
having  regard  to  the  length,  than  anything 
we  have  hitherto  done. 

'4.  We  have  travelled  over  the  5  miles  in 
6  minutes  45  seconds  when  working  one 
engine  only,  and  in  6  minutes  14  seconds 
when  working  engines  at  both  stations,  as 
intended  in  practice,  viz.,  at  the  middle  and 
the  end  to  propel,  the  train. 

'  5.  To  do  the  distance  in  the  above  time,  which 
includes  the  time  of  obtaining  our  speed 
and  coming  to  rest,  the  maximum  speed 
was  70  miles  an  hour. 

'  6.  The  practical  result  of  our  working  was  to 
beat  the  Brighton  quick  train  ;  having  given 
it  one  minute's  law,  and  then  started  from 
rest  while  the  Brighton  train  passed  the 
spot  where  we  were  standing  at  full  speed, 
drawn  by  two  locomotives,  and  continued 
with  unabated  speed,  and  was,  in  fact,  going 
as  fast  as  it  could  when  we  overhauled  it 
.  4  miles  beyond  where  we  started. 

'  7.  With  a  train  of  eight  carriages  and  about  200 
persons  we  stopped  with  the  brakes  on  an 
incline  rising  i  in  50,  and  started  again 
nearly  as  free  as  on  the  level.  On  the 
whole  the  results  are  beyond  what  we  led 
anyone  to  expect,  and  I  trust  it  will  not 
be  long  before  I  have  an  opportunity  of 
showing  them  to  the  South  Devon  Direc- 
tors.' 

This  report  immediately  caused  the  South  Devon 


The  South  Devon  Railway. 


209 


shares  to  rise  ^5  in  value,  so  great  was  the  faith  of 
the  public  in  this  system  of  propulsion. 

After  very  many  delays  (the  real  reason  for  which, 
although  not  openly  acknowledged,  was  Mr  Brunei's 
desire  to  see  how  the  atmospheric  system  answered 
on  the  Croydon  Railway)  the  first  section  of  the 
South  Devon  Railway  from  Exeter  to  Teignmouth 
was  opened  on  3d  May  1846.  The  line  was,  however, 
worked  by  locomotive  engines  supplied  by  the  Great 
Western  Railway.  Nor  would  this  portion  of  the  line 
have  been  opened  at  this  date  had  not  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  districts  been  so  loud  in  their  complaints 
as  to  the  inconvenience  caused  by  the  delay  in  open- 
ing. On  the  opening  day  the  first  train  left  Exeter 
at  12.10  P.M.,  and  returned  from  Teignmouth  at 
1.15  P.M.  There  were  .then  but  two  intermediate 
stations,  Starcross  and  Dawlish.  The  following  was 
the  original  service  of  trains  :— 

ON  WEEK  DAYS. 

UP  TRAINS. 

Leaving  Teignmouth  at    7.10  A.M.  arrive  Exeter    7.55  A.M. 

9-55 
n-55 


g.io 
IT.  10 
1.15  P 

4-25 
6-45 
8-45 


5.10 
7-30 
9-3° 


i. 


DOWN  TRAINS. 

Leaving  Exeter  at    8.10  A.M.  arrive  Teignmouth    8.55  A.M. 

12.10  P.M.  ,  I2-55  p-M- 

2-20    ,,  ,  3-5      » 

3-25     »  ,  4-io    „ 

5-40    „  ,  6.25    „ 

7-4o    „  ;  8.25    „ 

10.10     „  ,  10.55     s 

SUNDAY  TRAINS. 

UP  TRAINS. 

Leaving  Teignmouth  at    7.15  A.M.  arrive  Exeter    8.0    A.M. 

»  ,,  9-3°    »  >,  10.18    „ 

„  „  8.30  P.M.  „  9.25  P.M. 

O 


2io      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Raihvay. 

DOWN  TRAINS. 
Leaving  Exeter  at    8.20  A.M.  arrive  Teignmouth    9.15  A.M. 

,,  5-40  P-M.  „  6.25  P.M. 

»  »        IO-5     »  »  10.50    „ 

Fares,  from  Exeter  to  Teignmouth, 

First-class,  23.  6d. ;  second-cbss,  23.  ;  third-class,  is.  2d. 

By  order  of  the  Directors. 

W.  CARR,  Secretary. 
EXETER,  i8//^  May  1846. 

'NOTE. — Horses,  carriages  and  dogs  will  be  conveyed  by  rail- 
way, and  also  fish  ;  but  for  the  present  no  other  description  of  goods.' 

The  fares  were  the  cheapest  of  any  then  charged, 
being  only  2d.  for  first-class,  i^d.  for  second-class,  and 
id.  for  third-class  per  mile,  and  the  traffic  much  ex- 
ceeded the  expectation  of  the  Directors,  amounting  to 
from  the  first  12,000  passengers  per  week,  and  the 
receipts  to  ^600  per  week. 

The  Great  Western  Railway  charged  is.  4d.  per 
mile  for  locomotive  power,  but  with  the  atmospheric 
system  the  Directors  told  the  shareholders  the  ex- 
pense would  not  exceed  6d.  per  mile  for  haulage. 
The  first  experiment  of  the  atmospheric  system  on 
the  South  Devon  line  was  made  on  26th  February 
1847,  when  a  train  of  two  carriages  went  from  Exeter 
to  Turf  and  back,  upon  which  occasion  Mr  Brunei  said 
everything  gave  him  full  satisfaction.  During  the  half 

J  O     O  O 

year  to  3ist  December  1846  the  receipts  amounted  to 
,£15,620,  and  the  expenditure  to  ,£10,124,  of  which 
^3269  had  been  paid  the  Great  Western  Railway  for 
locomotive  hire. 

At  a  meeting  in  Plymouth  in  May  1847,  the 
Chairman  said  that  they  had  attained  a  speed  of  70 
miles  an  hour  with  a  light  train,  and  33  miles  an  hour 
with  a  train  weighing  100  tons  (this  was  the  weight 
of  the  train  itself,  as,  of  course,  no  locomotives  were 
used),  He  also  stated  that  it  was  '  the  great  desire 
of  the  Directors  to  extend  to  the  public  the  benefit  of 
the  opening  to  Plymouth  at  as  early  a  period  as 


The  South  Devon  Railway.  211 

possible,  that  they  would  use  the  locomotive  tem- 
porarily from  Totnes  to  this  town.' 

On  1 8th  August  a  goods  train  of  eleven  trucks, 
weighing  120  tons,  travelled  the  8J  miles,  Exeter  to 
Starcross,  in  15  minutes.  On  8th  September  1847, 
besides  the  usual  service  of  trains  hauled  by  locomo- 
tives, four  extra  ones  commenced  running,  these  being 
propelled  by  the  atmospheric  system.  This  was  the 
first  public  use  of  the  system  on  the  South  Devon 
Railway.  Shortly  after,  three  of  the  regular  trains 
were  also  propelled  by  means  of  the  atmospheric 
apparatus.  Although  the  line  was  opened  as  far 
as  Newton  Abbot,  between  that  station  and  Teign- 
mouth  locomotives  were  employed,  but  the  piston 
carriage  on  the  down  train  went  on  to  Newton, 
where  it  was  taken  off  with  the  superfluous  carriages 
and  placed  on  a  convenient  line  to  be  attached  to  the 
up  train  when  required,  so  that,  on  arriving  at  Teign- 
rnouth,  where  the  locomotive  was  removed,  the  piston 
carriage  started  the  train  when  the  signal  was  given ; 
and  on  the  down  atmospheric  train  arriving  at  Teign- 
mouth,  the  engine  that  had  to  run  in  front  was  instantly 
attached  to  the  piston  carriage,  and  was  ready  for  the 
start  at  all  times  before  the  guard  was  ready  or  the 
passengers  seated. 

A  traveller  thus  relates  his  experience  of  the 
system  : — '  The  trains  ran  up  to  the  respective  stations, 
and  were  stopped  and  started  again  with  the  utmost 
ease  and  with  as  much  regularity  as  we  ever  witnessed 
in  those  propelled  by  steam  power.  In  travelling 
the  passengers  experience  scarcely  any  oscillation. 
We  tested  the  steadiness  of  the  piston  carriage  when 
the  train  was  at  its  greatest  speed,  by  placing  a  half- 
penny on  a  narrow  ledge  of  the  sliding  sash,  and  for 
a  distance  of  3  miles  it  never  shook  or  moved  from  its 
position.'  On  Qth  November  trains  worked  on  the 
atmospheric  system  commenced  running  to  Newton 
Abbot. 

On    loth  January    1848  all  the  trains  except  the 


212      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

first  and  last  each  way  commenced  running  by  atmo- 
spheric power,  and  the  trial  fully  answered  all  the 
expectations.  Notwithstanding  the  disadvantages  at- 
tending the  commencement  of  every  new  undertaking, 
not  a  single  instance  of  stoppage  or  delay  occurred  on 
the  new  piece  of  road  from  Teignmouth  to  Newton. 
On  the  first  day  the  express  train  was  unusually  heavy, 
and  it  started  from  Newton  6  minutes  after  its 
proper  time,  but  reached  Exeter  at  the  regular  period, 
gaining  6  minutes  on  the  20  miles.  On  the  i2th  the 
down  express  train  was  30  minutes  late  at  Exeter, 
but  on  arriving  at  Newton  10  minutes  had  been  re- 
covered— so  much  therefore  in  praise  of  the  system. 
On  2 Qth  February  the  general  meeting  of  the  com- 
pany was  held,  and  the  Chairman  then  stated  '  the 
atmospheric  had  proved  so  successful  that  the  loco- 
motive had  been  entirely  withdrawn  from  the  line 
between  Newton  and  Exeter.  Out  of  884  trains 
which  had  then  been  run  790  had  either  gained  time 
or  performed  the  journey  in  the  exact  time.  Of  the 
remainder  70  lost  from  i  to  5  minutes,  14  from  6  to  10 
minutes,  3  from  n  to  15  minutes,  7  from  1 6  minutes 
and  upwards.' 

After  all  these  eulogistic  speeches  and  reports, 
the  shareholders  and  the  public  were  very  greatly 
surprised  to  find  in  the  report  for  the  half  year  to 
3Oth  June  1848,  that  a  loss  of  ^2489  had  .occurred 
in  working  the  line  during  the  six  months,  and  that 
the  Directors  recommended  the  suspension  of  the 
atmospheric  system. 

Mr  Brunei  presented  an  exhaustive  report  on  the 
failure  of  the  system  (see  Appendix).  This  remarkable 
change  of  front  on  behalf  of  Mr  Brunei  had  a  dis- 
astrous effect  on  his  reputation,  a  dead  set  being 
made  against  him  at  the  meeting,  one  shareholder 
stating, — '  On  the  system  which  is  now  to  be  abandoned 
the  company  have  already  expended  from  ^300,000 
to  ^"400,000.  Mr  Brunei  had  received  warning  upon 
warning  from  engineers  as  eminent  as  himself,  but 


The  South  Devon  Railway.  2 1 3 

had  recklessly  entered  upon  this  extravagant  expen- 
diture, not  at  his  own  expense,  but  that  of  others— 
at  the  expense  of  persons  of  small  means,  widows 
and  others  who  had  invested  their  all  in  such  enter- 
prises, and  who  could  ill  afford  to  pay  the  cost  of 
his  playing  in  this  manner  with  their  property.  So 
the  South  Devon  Line  was  left  with  bad  gradients 
—a  long  bank  of  I  in  40,  which  was  laid  down  by 
Mr  Brunei  in  the  certainty  that  locomotive  power 
would  not  be  used  ;  and  the  tremendous  inclines  were 
left  to  be  worked  as  best  they  could  be  by  locomotive 
power,  and  the  Great  Western  Railway  route  to  the 
far  west  was  for  ever  debarred  from  being  worked 
at  anything  like  the  express  speed  that  had  made  this 
line  from  London  to  Exeter  world  -famous  ;  and  so  that 
after  exactly  a  year's  trial  the  experiment  was  aban- 
doned, and  locomotives  only  were  employed  to  haul 
the  trains,  Mr  Brunei,  in  his  report  to  the  Directors, 
advising  the  withdrawal  of  the  atmospheric  system, 
basing  his  decision  principally  on  the  fact  that  the 
leather  of  the  longitudinal  valve  was  perished,  and 
required  renewing,  which  would  have  cost  some 
^1600  a  mile,  or  £32,000  for  the  section  then  open. 
He  attributed  the  deterioration  of  the  leather  to  the 
chemical  action  set  up  by  the  wet  iron  on  the  tannin 
of  the  leather  ;  to  the  absorption  of  the  natural  grease 
of  the  leather  by  the  immense  suction  of  the  air 
pump,  and  to  the  injurious  properties  of  the  sealing 
composition  on  the  leather ;  these  facts  together 
making  the  leather  so  brittle  that  it  was  easily  torn 
by  the  coulter  connecting  the  piston  and  the  carriage, 
and  the  leather  had  from  the  same  causes  become  so 
sponge-like  that  it  failed  as  an  air-tight  covering  to 
the  valve,  and  so  prevented  the  formation  of  an 
effective  vacuum  in  the  traction  pipe. 

The  Directors  decided  to  act  upon  Mr  Brunei's 
recommendation,  in  consequence  of  which  Mr  Gill, 
the  Chairman,  resigned  his  position  on  the  Board. 
The  majority  of  the  South  Devon  Directors  were 


214     A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

the  nominees  of  the  Great  Western  Railway,  which 
company  held  a  large  proportion  of  the  South  Devon 
shares,  and  it  was  to  the  advantage  of  the  Great 
Western  Railway  that  the  South  Devon  Railway 
should  use  locomotive  power,  as  the  Great  Western 
Railway  supplied  the  engines  on  hire  to  it,  and  so 
made  a  considerable  profit  out  of  the  substitution  of 
locomotives  for  the  atmospheric  system.  Mr  Gill  wrote 
a  lengthy  pamphlet  urging  the  retention  of  atmospheric 
traction.  The  Directors  for  some  months  did  not 
answer  this  attack  on  their  policy,  but  the  agitation 
led  by  Mr  Gill  compelled  them  at  last  to  do  so,  and 
to  call  a  special  meeting  of  shareholders  to  finally 
decide  as  to  what  systen  should  be  used — locomotive 
or  atmospheric.  This  meeting  was  held  at  Exeter, 
on  6th  January  1849.  At  it  Mr  Gill  stated  that 
the  cost  of  locomotive  traction  on  their  line  was 
is.  7^d.  per  mile ;  while  he  had  an  offer  from  Clark 
and  Varley  to  spend  ;£  10,000  of  their  own  money 
on  experimenting  with  their  patent  valve  on  two 
miles  of  the  line,  and,  if  successful,  they  would  enter 
into  a  contract  for  five  or  seven  years  to  complete 
the  system  at  a  cost  of  only  ^5000  a  mile,  and 
that  they  would  take  a  considerable  portion  of  this 
price  in  South  Devon  stock.  They  also  under- 
took that  the  cost  of  working  on  their  system  should 
not  exceed  more  than  is.  a  mile.  Mr  Gill  also 
stated  that  he  had  offers  from  twenty-five  different 
inventors  who  were  willing  to  have  their  atmospheric 
systems  tried  on  somewhat  similar  terms.  Samuda's 
valve,  which  was  the  one  the  South  Devon  Railway 
had  used,  Mr  Gill  considered  the  worst  of  all  those 
submitted  to  him.  After  the  meeting  had  lasted 
eight  hours  a  poll  was  taken,  with  the  following 
result : — For  abandoning  the  atmospheric  —  present 
576  shares,  proxies  5324  shares,  total  5900 ;  against 
the  abandonment — present  645  shares,  proxies  1230 
shares,  total  1875.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that 
there  were  a  majority  of  69  shares  present  at  the 


The  South  Devon  Railway.  215 

meeting  in  favour  of  the  retention  of  the  atmospheric, 
but  the  immense  number  of  shares  held  by  the  Great 
Western  and  Bristol  and  Exeter  Railways,  who  were 
interested  in  supplying  locomotive  power  to  the  South 
Devon  Railway,  completely  swamped  the  ordinary 
shareholders,  so  that  the  final  abandonment  of  the 
atmospheric  system  was  carried  by  a  majority  of 
4025  shares.  The  plant,  which  had  cost  the  com- 
pany over  ^300,000,  was  sold  for  about  ;£ 50,000. 

Clark  and  Varley's  system,  which  Mr  Gill  pro- 
posed should  be  used  on  the  South  Devon  Rail- 
way, consisted  of  the  tube  being  made  of  wrought 
sheet  iron,  and  constructed  so  as  to  form  a  powerful 
spring ;  the  edges  were  provided  with  tips  of  india- 
rubber,  about  1 3-  inches  high,  and  the  circular  form 
of  the  sheet  iron  pressed  them  close  together,  while 
the  weight  of  the  train  on  the  lines,  to  which  the 
edges  of  the  tube  were  attached,  opened  the  valve 
sufficiently  for  the  coulter  to  enter,  and  as  the  train 
proceeded,  and  its  weight  was  withdrawn  from  the 
metals,  the  valve  closed  automatically  behind  it. 

The  South  Devon  line  was  opened  to  Laira  (a 
temporary  station  at  Plymouth)  on  ist  May  1848, 
the  service  consisting  of  six  trains  each  way.  As 
already  stated,  the  Great  Western  Railway  provided 
the  locomotive  power  to  work  the  South  Devon  Rail- 
way, Mr  Brunei  building  engines  of  the  '  Corsair ' 
type  ;  but  after  some  years  the  South  Devon  share- 
holders thought  they  could  do  better,  and  contracted 
with  Messrs  Geach,  Evans  and  Company  to  work  this 
line  and  the  Cornwall  jointly.  Mr  Daniel  Gooch  had 
a  considerable  interest  in  this  firm  of  engine  builders, 
and  most  probably  designed  the  locomotives  supplied 
by  Evans  and  Company.  But  the  South  Devon  Rail 
way  fared,  perhaps,  even  worse  under  Evans  and  Com- 
pany. This  firm  was  paid  is.  8d.  per  train  mile  run 
for  locomotive  power,  and  they  must  have  made 
enormous  profits  out  of  the  contract,  for,  with  their 
drivers,  the  coal  used  was  reduced  to  a  minimum. 


2 1 6      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Liberal  premiums  were  paid  the  engine  drivers  for  the 
coal  saved,  and  to  see  one  of  the  goods  trains  ascend- 
ing a  bank  at  less  than  6  miles  an  hour,  and  running 
down  the  other  side  of  the  incline  with  steam  off,  was 
certainly  a  vivid  example  of  economy.  After  twenty- 
one  years  this  contract  was  determined,  and  the  rail- 
way took  over  the  locomotives  at  a  valuation,  and 
worked  the  line  itself,  when  the  cost  of  locomotive 
power  was  found  to  work  out  at  only  lod.  per  mile,  so 
that  Evans  and  Company  had  been  making  about  half  of 
their  '  little  bill '  clear  profit  every  year.  Although  the 
line  has  such  severe  gradients,  these  lend  themselves  to 
economical  working  of  the  goods  traffic,  as  the  trains 
crawl  up  one  side  of  the  bank  (the  Great  Western 
now  do  this  at  10  miles  an  hour  against  Evans  and 
Company's  6  miles  an  hour),  and  run  down  the  other 
side  by  the  force  of  gravity. 

It  was  at  the  end  of  1866  that  Evans  and  Company's 
contract  was  determined,  and  the  South  Devon  and 
Cornwall  Railways  decided  to  provide  joint  loco- 
motives to  work  their  systems.  In  1867  the  Avon- 
side  Engine  Company  constructed  saddle  tank  engines 
with  a  leading  bogie,  from  the  design  of  Mr  Slaughter. 
These  locomotives,  known  as  the  '  Pluto '  class,  were 
for  some  time  the  standard  type  engines  west  of 
Newton. 

The  Torquay  branch  was  opened  on  i8th  Decem- 
ber 1848.  In  1857  the  Dartmouth  and  Torbay  Rail- 
way was  formed,  and  the  line  from  Torquay  to 
Paignton  opened  on  2d  August  1859,  while  the  second 
portion  to  Brixham  Road  (now  called  Churston)  was 
opened  for  passenger  traffic  on  i4th  March,  and  for 
goods  on  ist  April  1861.  From  Churston,  branches 
the  Torbay  and  Brixham  Railway.  While  writing  about 
the  South  Devon  Railway,  we  take  the  opportunity  to 
shortly  describe  the  romantic  career  of  the  Torbay 
and  Brixham  Railway,  a  line  but  2\  miles  long,  but 
interesting  from  the  fact  that  it  was  constructed  by  a 
private  gentleman,  who,  to  help  the  fishing  town  of 


The  So2it/i  Devon  Railway.  217 

Brixham,  spent  the  whole  of  his  fortune  on  making 
this  railway,  and  completely  ruined  himself  in  the 
laudable  attempt  to  benefit  his  fellowmen.  A  local 
company  then  took  over  the  line,  and  worked  it 
independently  of  the  South  Devon  Railway,  which 
latter  company,  year  by  year,  delivered  accounts  by 
which  the  Brixham  line  appeared  to  be  more  and  more 
in  debt  to  it,  and  so  greatly  pressed  for  money  was  this 
little  railway,  that  it  mortgaged  its  only  locomotive, 
'  The  Queen,'  to  the  South  Devon  Railway  for  ^350. 
But  money  matters  went  from  bad  to  worse,  till  the 
Brixham  Directors  appealed  to  the  Railway  Com- 
missioners, who  went  into  the  case  fully,  and  found 
that  the  debt  was  entirely  on  the  other  side,  the  South 
Devon  Railway  having  to  pay  the  Torbay  and  Brix- 
ham Railway  over  ^2000,  less  the  '^350  already  ad- 
vanced on  its  engine.  At  one  time  the  Brixham 
Company  was  so  exasperated  that,  in  1875,  it  ob- 
tained Parliamentary  sanction  to  alter  the  gauge  of 
its  line,  the  idea  being  that  if  the  gauges  of  the  lines 
were  different,  no  interchange  of  traffic  could  take 
place,  and  the  South  Devon  Railway  would  be  effec- 
tually prevented  from  making  any  charges  for  such 
accommodation ;  but  this  change  of  gauge  was  not 
carried  out  until  the  final  conversion  of  the  Great 
Western  Railway  in  1892. 

This  small  railway  had  another  hardship  to  con- 
tend against,  as  although  it  had  never  made  enough 
money  to  pay  even  the  debenture  interest,  yet  year 
by  year  the  Government  charged  it  ^50  for  passenger 
duty,  based  on  the  fact  that  the  third-class  passengers 
were  charged  ^d.  each  for  the  journey  of  2^  miles, 
which,  however,  was  the  fare  authorized  by  its  Act  of 
Parliament. 


CHAPTER     XVI. 

THE     CORNWALL     RAILWAY. 

EARLY  in  1844,  a  meeting  was  called  at  Truro,  at 
which  it  was  decided  to  form  a  company  to  construct  a 
railway  through  Cornwall,  -and  a  provisional  committee 
was  appointed  at  a  meeting  held  on  6th  August.  The 
report  of  this  committee  was  adopted.  The  principal 
recommendations  were,  the  construction  of  a  coast 
line  from  Plymouth  to  Falmouth ;  the  adoption  of  the 
atmospheric  system  of  propulsion  ;  the  crossing  of 
the  Tamar  by  means  of  a  steam  bridge,  the  train 
being  itself  thus  ferried  across,  so  that  passengers 
would  have  the  advantage  of  through  carriages  from 
London,  etc. 

The  traffic  was  estimated  to  produce  ,£105,655 
per  annum,  the  expenses  of  an  atmospheric 
line  were  put  down  at  .£38,000,  and  the  profit  at 
,£67,000,  or  sufficient  to  pay  7  per  cent,  on  the  capital 
of  .£900,000.  If  worked  by  locomotives  the  annual 
expenses  were  estimated  at  ,£46,000. 

The  capital  was  divided  into  18,000  shares  of  ^£50, 
of  which  the  Great  Western  Railway  and  its  associated 
companies  took  5000,  the  local  capitalists  took  3000, 
and  the  remaining  10,000  were  subscribed  for  four 
times  over  in  two  months.  As  might  be  expected,  the 
London  and  South  Western  Railway  immediately 
started  an  opposition  line,  '  The  Cornwall  and  Devon 
Central,'  commencing  at  Exeter  and  passing  through 
Crediton,  Bow,  Hatherleigh,  Okehampton,  Launces- 
ton,  Bodmin,  and  Truro  to  Falmouth,  a  line  98 

miles  in  length,  or   20  miles  shorter  than  the  South 

218 


The  Cornwall  Railway.  219 

Devon  and  Cornwall  route.  This  line  was  to  be 
double  throughout.  The  capital  of  this  line  was 
,£1,500,000,  and  the  London  and  South  Western 
Railway  undertook  to  provide  ,£450,000.  On  the  4th 
of  March  1845  the  railway  department  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  reported  on  these  rival  schemes  ;  the  defects  of 
the  central  line  are  thus  dealt  with  : — '  Throughout  its 
whole  length  it  has  hardly  a  mile  running  at  or  near 
the  natural  surface  of  the  ground.  It  has  nine  tunnels, 
whose  united  length  amounts  to  4820  yards,  8  miles 
of  cutting  at  depths  exceeding  50  feet,  9  miles  of  em- 
bankment of  a  height  exceeding  70  feet,  and  1076 
yards  of  viaduct  at  heights  of  83  and  45  feet.  The 
difficulty  and  expense  of  such  immense  works  are 
greatly  enhanced  by  the  geological  character  of  the 
district  through  which  they  would  Tiave  to  be  con- 
structed. It  appears  from  statements  submitted  to  us 
that  one  tunnel  of  700  yards,  at  a  depth  of  146  feet 
below  the  surface,  is  through  granite,  a  cutting  of  if 
miles,  as  deep  in  parts  as  70  feet,  is  through  granite 
and  hard  greenstone.' 

While  the  report  was  extremely  favourable  to  the 
Cornwall  line,  '  we  are  of  opinion  that  the  exten- 
sion of  the  coast  line  from  Plymouth  to  Falmouth 
may  fairly  be  sanctioned  as  a  commercial  specula- 
tion, and  that,  in  this  point  of  view,  it  affords 
the  only  practicable  means  at  present  of  extending 
railway  communication  to  the  county  of  Cornwall.' 
After  a  long  hearing  the  Lord's  Committee  reported, — 
'  That  they  were  of  opinion  that  the  construction  of  a 
railway  from  Plymouth  to  Falmouth,  with  a  branch  to 
Bodmin,  would  be  of  great  public  advantage.  But 
they  were  also  of  opinion,  that  without  a  further  and 
more  accurate  survey,  with  the  view  to  procure 
gradients  of  a  more  favourable  character,  and  to  avoid, 
if  possible,  the  crossing  of  the  Hamoaze,  the  Bill 
should  not  now  be  further  proceeded  with.' 

In  the  Bill  introduced  in  1846,  the  gradients  were 
greatly  improved,  none  being  steeper  than  i  in  60, 


220      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

while  the  proposal  to  ferry  the  trains  across  the  Tamar 
was  withdrawn,  and  a  high  level  bridge  at  Saltash  sub- 
stituted. Before  the  Lord's  Committee,  a  Cornishman, 
who  was  giving  evidence  in  favour  of  the  Bill,  was  one 
too  many  for  Mr  Sergeant  Kinslake,  who  appeared 
for  the  opposition  scheme.  The  witness  was  cross- 
examined  as  to  the  passenger  traffic  between  St  Austell 
and  Truro,  conveyed  by  vans,  and  he  stated  they  were 
chiefly  used  by  people  of  a  low  class.  '  Now  be 
careful,  have  you  never  travelled  by  one  of  those 
vans?'  asked  the  learned  sergeant.  'No,'  was  the 
reply.  'Just  think  again  and  be  sure.'  'I  never 
have,'  responded  the  witness,  '  although  I  have  heard 
of  barristers  who  have.'  This  reply  raised  a  general 
laugh  at  the  counsel's  expense.  The  Bill  received  the 
royal  assent  in  August  1846.  The  opposition  line 
(The  Cornwall  and  Devon  Central  Railway),  promoted 
by  the  London  and  South  Western  Railway,  failed  to 
obtain  their  Bill,  and  was  left  in  a  curious  predicament 
in  consequence.  Both  the  Cornwall  lines  had  made 
offers  for  the  Bodmin  and  Wadebridge  Railway,  and 
that  of  the  Central  Company  being  the  better,  it  was 
accepted,  the  purchase  price  being  £35,000.  What 
to  do  with  this  line  was  the  question  that  exercised  the 
minds  of  the  officials  of  the  Central  Company,  and 
after  various  negotiations,  rather  than  it  should  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  Cornwall  Railway,  the  London 
and  South  Western  Railway  took  it  over.  The  his- 
tory of  this  little  line  is  interesting.  It  was  opened  in 
1834,  and  constructed  to  convey  sand  to  and  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Carnal,  to  enrich  the  meadow  land  round 
about  Wenford  and  Bodmin.  It  began  by  being  re- 
markable in  being  built  for  less  than  the  estimated 
cost,  as  with  a  capital  of  ,£35,000  it  had  £"106,  8s.  5d. 
in  hand  when  completed.  The  Great  Western,  in 
1845,  although  more  than  100  miles  from  the  Bodmin 
and  Wadebridge  Railway,  and  although  it  was  not 
paying  a  dividend,  offered  to  buy  it  at  a  considerable 
profit  on  the  cost  of  its  construction,  provided  they  got 


The  Cornwall  Railway.  221 

their  Bill  passed;  while  the  London  and  South 
Western  offered  to  buy  it,  if  their  Bill  passed  or  not, 
but  at  a  less  price  than  the  Great  Western.  Their 
offer  was  accepted,  and  it  has  been  South  Western 
property  ever  since,  although  it  is  not  even  yet 
connected  with  their  system.  The  passenger  rolling 
stock  consisted  of  a  first  and  second  composite  and 
two  open  thirds.  The  train  went  from  Wadebridge  to 
Bodmin  on  Monday,  Wednesday  and  Friday,  and 
returned  on  Tuesday,  Thursday  and  Saturday.  The 
line  was  I4f-  miles  long.  Recently  the  Great  Western 
constructed  a  branch  about  4  miles  long  from  Bodmin 
Road,  on  their  Cornwall  line,  to  Bodmin,  and  so  con- 
nected this  early  line  with  the  great  rival  of  its  owning 
company,  and  so,  since  the  abolition  of  the  Broad 
Gauge,  with  the  rest  '  of  the  lines'  in  this  country. 
But  although  the  Cornwall  Railway  had  been  legally 
incorporated,  nothing  was  done  towards  constructing 
the  line  for  some  years.  The  disastrous  financial 
failures  and  general  commercial  depression  in  1847-48 
prevented  the  construction  of  the  line  being  actively 
proceeded  with,  7-^  miles  of  the  course  had  been  pur- 
chased and  the  works  were  commenced  in  the  end  of 
1847,  but  in  the  middle  of  the  next  year  they  were 
wholly  abandoned.  To  preserve  the  benefits  of  the 
Act,  upon  obtaining  which  an  immense  sum  of  money 
had  been  expended,  a  supplementary  Act  was  obtained 
in  1847  extending  the  time  for  the  completion  of  the 
line  to  23d  June  1860.  The  project  was  then  left  in 
complete  abeyance  until  1853,  when  another  start  was 
made  with  the  construction  of  the  line  between  Ply- 
mouth and  Truro,  53^  miles,  an  Act  having  been 
obtained  allowing  until  August  1864  for  the  com- 
pletion of  the  line  from  Truro  to  Falmouth. 

The  line  was  formally  opened  by  Prince  Consort 
on  4th  May  1859.  It  was  a  single  one  throughout,  but 
is  now  being  doubled.  The  principal  work  is  the 
Saltash  Suspension  Bridge,  Brunei's  great  masterpiece. 
The  appended  description  of  the  construction  and 


222      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

opening  of  this  colossal  engineering  feat  is  from  the 
Life  of  I.  K.  Brunei. 


ROYAL  ALBERT  BRIDGE. 

The  great  cylinder,  having  been  constructed  on 
the  river  bank,  was  moved  down  to  low  water  on 
launching-ways,  and  floated  off  by  the  rising  tide. 


BRUNEL'S  MASTERPIECE — The  '  ROYAL  ALBERT  BRIDGE,'  Saltash, 
connecting  Cornwall  and  '  England.' 

Guided  between  four  pontoons,  it  was  finally  sunk  in 
correct  position  in  June  1854. 

Some  delay  in  penetrating  the  mud  was  caused  by 
a  bed  of  oyster  shells  which  had  to  be  cut  through  by 
one  edge  of  the  cylinder.  In  consequence  of  some 
irregularities  of  the  surface  of  the  rock,  the  cylinder 
at  first  deviated  considerably  from  an  upright  position, 
and  it  was  necessary  to  use  the  pneumatic  apparatus  to 


The  Carnival t  Railway.  ,      223 

gain  access  to  the  rock  and  excavate  it.  The  height 
of  the  annulus  below  the  dome  was  such  that  it  was 
not  quite  filled  by  the  mud  when  the  cylinder  rested 
on  the  bottom.  The  work  of  getting  the  mud  out  of 
the  annular  space  was  much  faciliated  by  the  division 
of  it  into  compartments. 

By  February  1855,  the  cylinder  had  been  sunk  to 
its  full  depth  in  an  upright  position,  and  it  then  rested 
everywhere  on  the  rock,  its  lowest  point  being  87  feet 
6  inches  below  high  water.      Much  trouble  was  given 
by  a  spring  of  water  issuing  out  of  a  fissure  in  the 
rock,    in    one    of    the    compartments,    but    the    flow 
was    stopped   by  driving   close    sheet   piles    into    the 
fissure.     The  rock  iri  the  annulus  was  dressed,   and 
the  space  filled  by  a  ring  of  granite  ashlar  masonry, 
which  was  built  to  a  height  of  about  7  feet  all  round. 
The  rock  consisted  of  greenstone  trap,   so  hard  that 
tools  could  with  difficulty  be  got  to  work  it.     When  the 
ring  of  masonry  was  completed,  it  was  expected  that 
the  bottom  might  be  sufficiently  watertight  to  act  as 
a  coffer-dam,  and  allow  of  the  mud  being  taken  out 
from  the  central  part  of  the  cylinder  below  the  dome. 
But  the  pumping  power  was  not  at  first  sufficient  for 
this   purpose,   and   it  was  thought  that   it   would   be 
necessary   to  employ   the  pneumatic    process    in   this 
space  also.      However,  by  rapid  and  incessant  pump- 
ing, the  water  was  lowered  so  as  to  allow  of  the  mud 
and  rock  being  excavated,   and   the   masonry   in   the 
central  space  built  without  having  again   recourse  to 
the  use  of  air  pressure.     The  leakage  water  was  con- 
veyed to  two  wells  formed  of  cast-iron  pipes  built  into 
the    masonry,    from    which    the    water   was    pumped. 
The  inner  plates  of  the  annulus  were  cut  out,  and  the 
work  in  the  centre,  which  consisted  of  granite  ashlar 
set  in  cement,  was   throughly  bonded    into    the  ring 
of    masonry   already   built.       When    the    work    was 
carried  up  to  the  level  of  the  dome,  both  the  dome 
and  the  internal    10  feet  cylinder  were  cut  out  and 
removed.     When   the  building  had  been  carried  up 


224      -A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

some  height,  the  pump  wells  were  filled  with  cement 
concrete,  and  the  influx  of  water  stopped.  Finally, 
about  the  end  of  1856,  when  the  masonry  was  com- 
pleted to  the  cap  of  the  pier,  the  upper  part  of  the 
great  cylinder  was  unbolted  and  taken  ashore,  it 
having  been  made  in  two  halves  with  that  object. 
Thus  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  undertaking  was 
successfully  completed. 

The  centre  pier  of  the  Saltash  Bridge  is,  like 
many  great  engineering  works,  out  of  sight,  and  little 
regarded  by  any  but  professional  men.  The  rest  of 
the  bridge  forms  a  striking  feature  in  a  beautiful 
landscape,  and  its  appearance  is  well  known.  The 
whole  length  of  the  bridge  is  about  2200  feet,  and 
is  divided  into  two  great  spans  over  the  river  of  455 
feet  each,  and  seventeen  side  spans,  varying  from  70  to 
90  feet,  which  are  on  sharp  curves.  The  piers  of  the 
side  spans,  as  well  as  the  two  large  piers  carrying 
the  land  ends  of  the  main  trusses,  are  of  masonry. 
The  masonry  of  the  centre  pier  is  35  feet  in  diameter, 
and  is  carried  up  about  12  feet  above  high  water 
level.  On  it  stand  four  cast-iron  octagonal  columns, 
rising  up  to  the  level  of  the  railway.  The  piers 
which  support  the  ends  of  the  great  trusses  are  con- 
structed with  arched  openings  through  which  the 
trains  pass. 

The  upper  part  of  the  centre  pier  is  a  cast-iron 
standard,  and  that  of  the  land  piers  is  of  masonry 
cases  with  cast-iron.  The  highest  part  of  the  truss 
is  260  feet  above  the  lowest  point  of  the  founda- 
tions. 

The  railway  is  carried  over  each  of  the  smaller 
openings  between  two  longitudinal  girders,  and  over 
the  main  spans  it  is  carried  between  similar  longi- 
tudinal girders,  which  are  suspended  at  intervals  from 
the  main  truss.  Each  truss  consists  of  a  wrought-iron 
oval  tube,  which  forms  an  arch,  and  of  two  suspension 
chains,  one  on  either  side  of  the  tube,  connecting  its 
two  ends. 


The  Cornwall  Railway.  225 

The  rise  of  the  arched  tube  above  its  abutments 
on  the  top  of  the  piers  is  the  same  as  the  fall  of  the 
suspension  chains  below  the  same  level.  At  eleven 
points  in  the  length  of  the  truss  the  chains  are  con- 
nected to  the  tube  by  upright  standards,  which  are 
braced  together  by  diagonal  bars  in  order  to  resist 
the  strains  due  to  unequal  loading.  The  roadway 
girders  are  suspended  from  the  truss  at  the  upright 
standards  already  mentioned,  and  at  an  intermediate 
point  between  each  of  them. 

The  truss  has  the  great  depth  of  56  feet  in  the 
centre ;  this  conduces  materially  to  the  economy  of 
the  construction  as  it  diminishes  the  strain  upon  the 
principal  parts,  the  tube  and  the  chains,  and  so  en- 
ables them  to  be  made  of  smaller  dimensions.  The 
truss  may  be  described  as  a  combination  of  an  arch 
and  a  suspension  bridge,  half  the  weight  being  placed 
on  the  one  and  half  on  the  other,  the  outward  thrust 
of  the  arch  on  the  abutments  being  counterbalanced 
by  the  inward  drag  on  the  chains.  The  mechanical 
arrangement  of  the  Saltash  truss  is  similiar  to  that 
of  the  one  at  Chepstow,  the  tube  resting  on  standards, 
the  railway  passing  beneath,  the  suspension  chains 
hung  from  either  side  of  the  tube,  the  upright  stand- 
ards and  the  diagonal  bracing  are  common  to  the 
two  structures.  The  total  weight  of  wrought-iron 
work  in  the  superstructure  of  each  span  is  1060  tons. 
When  the  truss  for  the  Cornwall  or  western  span  was 
completed,  temporary  piers  were  erected  to  support 
the  ends,  and  the  scaffolding  having  been  removed, 
the  roadway  was  loaded  with  1190  tons  uniformly 
distributed.  This  test  having  proved  satisfactory, 
preparations  were  made  for  floating  the  truss.  Docks 
were  made  underneath  it  near  the  two  ends,  and  in 
each  of  these  docks  two  iron  pontoons  were  placed, 
valves  were  then  opened  to  admit  water,  and  the 
pontoons  were  allowed  to  sink  on  timbers  prepared 
to  receive  them. 

Upon  each  pair  of  pontoons  was  erected  an  elabor- 


226      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

ate  framework  of  timber  to  carry  the  weight  of  half 
the  truss,  or  between  500  and  600  tons.  The  frame- 
work consisted  of  stout  timber  props,  some  of  them 
40  feet  long,  extending  from  the  pontoon  to  the 
arched  tube,  and  was  attached  to  the  tube  by  iron 
suspension  rods,  so  that  when  the  operation  of  float- 
ing was  completed  the  pontoons  would  be  free  to 
pass  from  underneath  the  truss.  In  order  to  haul 
the  truss  out  warps  were  laid  from  the  pontoons  to  a 
gun  brig  hulk  near  the  centre  pier  and  to  a  barge 
higher  up  the  river.  On  this  barge  were  also  placed, 
ready  for  use,  the  ends  of  four  warps  leading  to  cap- 
stans and  crabs  on  board  vessels  moored  at  various 
points.  To  keep  the  truss  from  being  drifted  up  or 
down  the  river  while  being  moved  out,  radius  lines 
were  laid  from  the  pontoons  to  moorings,  with  arrange- 
ments for  hauling  in  on  them  if  required. 

In  order  to  ensure  his  directions  being  clearly 
understood  and  promptly  attended  to,  Mr  Brunei 
assembled  a  number  of  his  assistants,  one  of  whom 
was  placed  as  '  captain '  in  each  of  the  vessels  contain- 
ing the  hauling  capstans  to  superintend  the  men  and  to 
execute  orders.  These  orders  were  given  by  signals. 
It  was  most  important  that  the  attention  of  the  captain 
should  not  be  diverted  by  looking  out  for  the  signals, 
and  that  there  should  be  no  chance  of  a  signal  not 
being  seen  by  him  because  he  was  attending  to  some 
other  of  his  duties. 

There  was  therefore  in  each  vessel  an  assistant 
whose  sole  duty  it  was  to  watch  for  the  signals,  to 
give  the  appropriate  interpretation  to  the  captain, 
and  to  acknowledge  the  signal  by  a  flag  correspond- 
ing to  that  by  which  it  was  given. 

Mr  Brunei  directed  the  operations  from  a  platform 
in  the  centre  of  the  truss.  The  signals  were  given 
from  a  smaller  platform  immediately  above,  and  were 
made  by  red  and  white  flags  held  in  front  of  black 
boards,  which  were  turned  toward  the  vessel  signalled 
to.  Printed  papers  containing  instructions  were  dis- 


The  Cornwall  Railway.  227 

tributed  to  all  engaged,  the  signalling  was  carefully- 
rehearsed,  as  also  was  every  other  part  of  the  opera- 
tions which  could  be  tried  beforehand. 

ist  September  was  the  day  fixed  for  the  floating. 

During  the  morning  the  men,  about  500  in  number, 
assembled  at  their  stations  on  the  vessel  and  pontoons. 
At  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  signals  from  the 
tops  of  the  temporary  piers  on  which  the  truss  rested 
showed  that  the  ends  had  been  lifted  3  inches  clear. 
Mr  Brunei  then  gave  the  signal  for  the  men  in  the  pon- 
toons to  haul  on  the  warps,  and  the  great  structure  glided 
slowly  out  to  the  centre  of  the  river.  A  pause  was 
then  made,  while  the  warps  which  were  to  swing  the 
truss  round  into  its  place  were  being  attached  to  the 
pontoon  which  was  farthest  from  the  centre  pier. 
When  this  was  done  the  different  ropes  were  hauled 
upon  in  obedience  to  signals,  so  as  to  keep  the  other 
pontoon  close  to  the  centre  pier,  upon  which,  as  a 
pivot,  the  truss  swung  round  in  a  quarter  circle  till  it 
occupied  the  whole  of  the  western  half  of  the  river, 
and  was  brought  close  to  its  appointed  resting  place. 
It  was  finally  adjusted  to  its  exact  position  by  strong 
tackles  attached  to  the  piers.  Water  was  then  ad- 
mitted into  the  pontoons ;  and  as  the  tide  fell  they 
were  allowed  to  drift  away,  leaving  the  truss  resting  on 
the  piers,  the  roadway  girders  being  but  a  few  feet 
above  the  water. 

The  whole  operation  was  conducted  with  the  most 
perfect  order  and  regularity, 

Under  each  end  of  the  truss  were  three  hydraulic 
presses ;  the  two  outside  presses  combined,  or  the 
middle  one  by  itself,  were  sufficient  to  lift  the  weight. 
Mr  Brunei  had  also  at  first  intended  to  have  strong 
screw-jacks,  which  were  to  be  kept  screwed  up  under- 
neath the  truss,  and  so  to  support  the  weight,  if  by  any 
accident  the  presses  failed.  A  modification  of  this  plan 
was  adopted  ;  the  rams  of  the  presses  had  a  screw 
thread  cut  on  them,  and  a  large  nut  on  each  was  kept 
screwed  up  hard  against  the  top  of  the  press  as  the  ram 


228      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

emerged  from  it.  As  an  additional  precaution,  timber 
packing,  in  thin  layers,  was  placed  in  the  space  be- 
tween the  completed  portion  of  the  pier  and  the  end  of 
the  truss  as  it  was  lifted.  Great  care  was  thus  taken 
to  guard  against  any  mishap.  The  tube  was  lifted  3 
feet  at  a  time  at  each  end.  The  operation  went  on 
slowly  in  order  to  allow  the  masonry  of  the  land  pier 
to  set  after  it  had  been  built  up  underneath  the  truss. 

Mr  Brunei  was  only  able  to  be  present  during  one 
of  the  lifting  operations  as  he  was  then  engaged  in 
the  'launch'  of  the  'Great  Eastern,' so  that  it  was 
superintended  by  Mr  Brereton. 

By  July  1858  the  first  truss  had  been  lifted  to  its  full 
height,  and  the  second  truss  was  ready  for  floating. 
Mr  Brunei  was  obliged  to  remain  abroad  from  ill 
health,  and  Mr  Brereton  conducted  the  operations. 
Although  the  weather  was  not  favourable,  and  the 
wind  high,  the  truss  was  safely  landed  on  the  piers, 
and  was  afterwards  raised  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
first  one.  On  the  Devonshire  side,  the  side  spans 
pass  over  fields,  and  on  the  Cornwall  side  over  the 
town  of  Saltash. 

The  general  effect  of  the  bridge  is  in  no  way 
heightened  by  an  expenditure  of  money  on  architec- 
tural ornament ;  for  with  the  exception  of  a  few  unim- 
portant mouldings,  the  bridge  is  absolutely  unadorned. 
The  total  cost  was  ^"225,000,  a  very  moderate  expen- 
diture, especially  when  the  difficult  work  at  the  centre 
pier  is  taken  into  consideration.  This  result  is  due 
not  only  to  the  careful  manner  in  which  all  the  details 
of  the  design  were  prepared,  but  also  to  the  great 
attention  given  throughout  to  its  construction. 

His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  Consort,  as  Lord 
Warden  of  the  Stannaries,  permitted  the  bridge  to  be 
called  the  Royal  Albert  Bridge,  and  consented  to  open 
it  in  person.  The  ceremony  was  performed  on  3d 
May  1859.  Mr  Brunei  was  on  the  Continent  at  the 
time,  but  on  his  return  to  England  paid  a  hurried  visit 
to  the  Cornwall  Railway,  and  saw  for  the  first  and 


The  Cornwall  Railway.  229 

last  time  in  its  completed  state  the  great  work  on 
which  he  had  expended  so  much  thought  and  care.' 

The  other  remarkable  works  are  the  numerous 
timber  viaducts,  the  construction  of  which  we  have 
already  specified  in  the  chapter  describing  the  South 
Devon  Railway.  The  entire  line  to  Falmouth  was 
opened  in  1863.  On  the  12  miles  between  Truro 
and  Falmouth,  there  are  seven  trestle  viaducts,  two 
tunnels,  many  deep  cuttings,  high  embankments,  and 
sharp  curves. 

Just  before  Perranwell,  we  cross  at  right  angles 
the  little  railway  constructed  for  the  purpose  of  bring- 
ing minerals  from  the  Chacewater  and  St  Day  districts 
to  the  shipping  port  of  Devoran  on  the  Truro  River. 
This  small  mineral  line  has  been  used  for  this  sole 
purpose  for  many  years.  The  Falmouth  Station  is 
nearly  a  mile  beyond  the  town,  quite  a  unique  ex- 
perience, but  just  as  inconvenient  as  the  usual  one 
of  building  a  station  a  mile  before  the  town  is 
reached.  Its  position,  however,  adjoins  the  docks, 
which  were  expected  to  become  of  great  importance  ; 
hence  the  reason  for  this  site  being  chosen  for  the 
station.  The  Great  Western  leased  the  line  in  1861 
for  a  term  of  a  thousand  years,  to  date  from  3d  May 
1859,  so  that  the  Cornwall  Railway  practically  formed 
a  part  of  their  system  ;  but  the  '  Sleepy  Giant '  on 
different  occasions  purchased  the  connecting  railways  ; 
but  in  1889  the  lease  was  cancelled  and  the  Great 
Western  Railway  purchased  the  Cornwall  Railway, 
so  that  now  the  Great  Western  Railway  owns  the 
whole  line  from  London  to  Penzance. 

The  West  Cornwall  Railway  reversed  the  order  of 
the  gauges,  and  is,  with  the  exception  of  the  length 
of  line,  less  than  7  miles  between  Gloucester  and  Chel- 
tenham, already  mentioned,  the  only  example  of  a 
Narrow  Gauge  line  that  was  made  a  Mixed  Gauge  for 
the  purpose  of  accommodating  the  Broad  Gauge,  the 
introduction  of  the  Mixed  Gauge  upon  other  lines  being 
the  precursor  for  the  abolition  of  the  7  feet  gauge, 


230      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

The  West  Cornwall  Railway  purchased,  for  ^"80,000, 
the  Hayle  Railway,  a  company  formed  as  early  as 
1834,  with  a  capital  of  ,£20,000,  its  system  being  9^ 
miles  long,  and  its  rolling  stock  comprising  five  loco- 
motives, six  passenger  carriages,  and  one  hundred  and 
nineteen  trucks,  waggons,  etc.,  besides  two  stationary 
engines  to  work  the  inclined  planes  of  i  in  91.  The 
Hayle  Company  made  no  profit,  but  formed  branch 
lines  to  the  various  mines  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
mine  owners,  who  were  also  the  shareholders  of  the 
railway  company.  It  was  at  first  only  a  mineral  line, 
but  the  great  success  of  the  Manchester  and  Liverpool 
Railway  in  the  carrying  of  passengers  caused  the 
Directors  of  this  West  County  Railway  to  have  a  coach 
for  passengers  linked  at  the  rear  of  the  mineral  trucks. 

The  train  took  i  hour  to  cover  the  9^  miles 
from  Redruth  to  Hayle. 

The  West  Cornwall  Railway  was  formed  in  1844, 
and  applied  for  their  Act  in  1845.  The  Board  of 
Trade  reported  in  favour  of  it.  The  usual  result 
followed,  the  Bill  being  thrown  out.  The  lines  pro- 
posed to  be  constructed  were  two,  one  at  each  end  of 
the  Hayle  Railway,  and  both  single  track,  in  all  22 
miles  6  furlongs  in  length,  and  was  to  be  worked 
partly  by  locomotives  and  partly  by  atmospheric 
power.  The  n^  miles  from  Truro  to  Redruth  were 
to  be  worked  by  the  latter  system.  The  whole 
line  was  estimated  to  cost  only  p£  180,000.  In  the 
next  year's  Bill  the  capital  was  increased  to  ,£500,000, 
and  the  Act  was  obtained  on  3d  August  1846  to 
construct  a  Broad  Gauge  line  from  Truro  Quay  to 
Penzance,  with  a  branch  to  the  Truro  Station  of 
the  Cornwall  Railway  Company  ;  but  the  Cornwall 
Company  delayed  the  construction  of  their  line  for 
so  long,  that  in  1850  an  Act  was  obtained  to  allow 
the  West  Cornwall  to  construct  their  line  on  the 
Narrow  Gauge,  and  the  construction  of  the  West 
Cornwall  Railway  was  then  commenced.  This  Act 
had  a  clause  requiring  either  the  West  Cornwall  Rail- 


The  Cornwall  Railway.  231 

way  to  alter  their  gauge  when  the  Cornwall  line 
joined  it  at  Truro,  or  to  lay  down  a  third  rail  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  Broad  Gauge.  This  third  rail 
completed  a  continuous  Broad  Gauge  railway  from 
London  to  Penzance.  The  Narrow  Gauge  line  was 
still  used  for  local  mineral  and  timber  traffic  between 
Penzance  and  Truro.  The  trucks  used  for  this  traffic 
were  of  small  size  and  of  peculiar  design,  the  axles  of 
the  rear  and  leading  wheels  being  so  close  together 
that  only  a  few  inches  separated  their  tyres.  When 
the  whole  line  was  converted  to  the  Narrow  Gauge, 
these  trucks  were  lettered,  '  not  to  run  east  of  Truro,' 
so  that  these  are  still  only  used  for  local  traffic,  and 
unless  the  curious  reader  makes  a  journey  west  of 
Truro,  he  is  not  likely  to  see  these  old  time  vehicles. 

The  Broad  Gauge  branch  from  St  Erth  to  St 
Ives  was  not  opened  for  many  years  after,  although 
the  construction  of  it  was  proposed  as  early  as  1844. 
From  the  ist  August  1878,  the  West  Cornwall 
Railway  became  part  of  the  Great  Western  Rail- 
way system,  as  also  did  various  mineral  branches 
which  abound  in  the  district,  those  in  connection 
with  the  West  Cornwall  Railway  being  Broad  Gauge 
and  those  connected  with  the  Cornwall  Minerals 
Railway  being  of  the  Narrow  Gauge. 

Par  is  the  junction  for  the  Cornwall  mineral  lines, 
the  loop  from  that  station  to  St  Blazey,  the  junction 
on  the  Cornwall  Minerals  Railway  being  a  double  line, 
although  the  distance  is  less  than  half  a  mile,  but 
it  is  nevertheless  remarkable  as,  until  a  few  months 
back,  being  the  only  length  of  double  line  in  Corn- 
wall except  the  crossings.  The  Cornwall  Minerals 
Railway  was  formed  in  1873,  and  consists  of  47 
miles  of  line  running  from  Fowey,  on  the  South 
Coast,  to  Newquay  on  the  north,  with  numerous 
branches  to  the  various  mines  and  china  clay  works, 
some  of  which  are  very  extensive.  The  streams  of 
water  in  this  part  of  Cornwall  are  mostly  quite 
white  through  the  china  clay,  which  seems  very 


232      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway, 

plentiful,  and  we  begin  to  fancy  we  have  at  length 
come  '  to  a  land  flowing  with  milk  ; '  but  the  china 
clay  industry  is  accountable  for  this  whiteness.  The 
water  is  used  for  washing  the  clay,  most  of  which 
falls  to  the  bottom,  and  is  collected,  while  enough 
to  discolour  the  water  and  make  it  milk  white  is 
carried  off  by  the  streams.  The  Cornwall  Minerals 
Railway  consisted  of  a  number  of  private  and  semi- 
private  lines  connecting  the  various  tin  mines,  china 
clay  works,  etc.,  with  Newquay  on  the  north  and 
Fowey  on  the  south,  and  so  provided  means  of  ship- 
ping the  produce  to  its  destination.  The  line  from 
East  Wheal  Rose  Mine  to  Newquay  was  the  pro- 
perty of  Mr  Treefry,  and  its  opening,  on  28th  January 
1849,  is  thus  described  :—' The  Newquay  Viaduct 
was  opened  by  Mr  J.  T.  Treefry  riding  over  it,  and 
afterwards  sending  his  loaded  waggons  across  with 
supplies  for  the  line  beyond  it.  At  a  later  period  of 
the  day  barley  was  sent  over  it  for  shipment  at 
Newquay.  The  viaduct,  an  exceedingly  light  yet 
very  strong  structure,  is  98  feet  high  from  the  base 
of  the  piers,  and  630  feet  long.' 

We  therefore  see  that  when  first  constructed  the 
Cornwall  Minerals  Railway  was  purely  a  mineral 
line,  but  since  it  did  not  answer  as  such,  from  ist 
July  1877  the  Great  Western  Railway  took  over 
the  system  on  lease  for  999  years  at  a  rental  of 
^"18,800  a  year,  payable  half  yearly.  Most  of  the 
trucks  used  for  conveyance  of  china  clay  are  the 
original  ones  belonging  to  the  Minerals  Railway. 
They  are  constructed  of  iron,  and  are  less  than  1 1 
feet  6  inches  in  length  over  the  buffers,  and  carry 
10  tons  each.  Many  of  the  gradients  on  the  line 
are  very  severe,  from  St  Blazey  to  Bridges  it  is  i 
in  34,  and  between  Victoria  and  St  Denis  Junction 
i  in  39,  other  sections  vary  between  46  and  73. 
Near  Newquay  is  a  branch,  at  present  not  worked, 
to  Newlyn,  the  gradients  of  which  are  so  severe 
that  the  engines  are  not  allowed  to  take  more  than 


The  Cornwall  Railway.  233 

eight  loaded  vehicles  including  brakes.  Slate  is  so 
plentiful  in  this  district  that  on  parts  of  the  line 
immense  slabs  of  it  are  used  to  fence  the  railway. 
At  Newquay  the  line  crosses  the  public  street  twice 
by  an  S  curve,  to  enable  it  to  approach  the  harbour, 
which  is  reached  by  a  very  steep  descent  through 
a  short  tunnel.  The  trucks  are  let  down  and  pulled 
up  on  this  part  of  the  line  by  means  of  a  wire  rope 
and  a  stationary  steam  winding  engine  with  two 
locomotive  boilers,  each  with  a  smaller  one  on  top 
for  a  steam  reservoir,  and  resembling  somewhat  in 
appearance  the  engine  lately  introduced  on  the 
Paris,  Lyons  and  Mediterranean  Railway ;  only 
one  loaded  and  one  empty  truck  are  allowed  to  be 
pulled  up  or  let  down  at  the  same  time.  China 
clay  is  shipped  at  Newquay,  and -the  ships  unload 
coal  for  the  mines.  Having  described  the  Great 
Western  trunk  line,  we  will  reserve  for  another 
chapter  the  particulars  of  the  most  important  branch 
of  the  Broad  Gauge — the  South  Wales  Railway. 


CHAPTER     XVII. 

THE      SOUTH      WALES      RAILWAY. 

IN  1844,  the  Great  Western  Railway  revived  the 
proposition  of  constructing  a  railway  from  Stonehouse, 
across  the  Severn,  along  its  western  bank,  through 
Chepstow,  Newport,  Cardiff,  Swansea  and  Car- 
marthen, with  a  branch  right  and  left,  one  to  Milford 
Haven  and  the  other  to  Fishguard,  from  whence  a 
service  of  steamers  were  to  run  to  Waterford.  The 
following  were  the  lines  proposed  to  be  constructed  :— 

Miles.  Chains. 

The  main  line,  from  Standish  to -Fishguard,          162  o 

Pembroke  Branch,  .              .              .             .            19  32 

Newport  to  Monmouth,       .             .             .            22  35 
Forest  of  Dean,       ....70 
In    connection    with   these   lines  were  the 
Monmouth  and  Hereford  Railway,  from 

Hereford   to   Gloucester,              .             .           32  15 

Monmouth  Branch,             .              .             .              8  20 

Forest  of  Dean,       .             .             .             .             4  26 


Total,         .         255         48 


It  was  proposed  to  cross  the  Severn  by  a  bridge 
2000  feet  long  at  a  horseshoe  bend,  and  to  cut  a  ship 
canal  across  the  bend  for  the  passage  of  large  ships  ; 
the  railway  would  cross  this  canal  by  a  swing  bridge, 
so  that  no  inconvenience  would  result  to  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  river.  There  would  be  a  tunnel  near  Swran- 
sea  1320  yards  long,  and  another  near  Kidwelly  1463 
yards  in  length.  The  total  cost  of  construction  was 
estimated  at  ^£2, 800,000,  and  the  250  miles  between 

234 


The  South  Wales  Railway.  235 

London  and  Fishguard  was  expected  to  be  covered  in 
5  hours. 

The  time  taken  to-day  (fifty  years  later)  to  perform 
this  journey  from  London  to  New  Milford,  272^  miles, 
over  exactly  the  same  course — with  the  substitution  of 
the  Narrow  Gauge — is  7  hours  10  minutes,  while 
other  trains  take  as  long  as  10  hours  40  minutes  to 
cover  the  distance. 

The  Committee  of  the  House  of  Commons  declared 
the  preamble  of  the  Bill  proved,  but  the  Admiralty 
having  decided  against  the  bridge  across  the  Severn, 
the  Chairman  said  they  had  come  to  the  following 
decision : — '  That,  although  the  preamble  of  the  Bill 
is  proved,  the  success  of  the  whole  scheme  of  the 
South  Wales  Railway  so  entirely  depends  upon  that 
part  of  the  work  to  which  the  Admiralty  object,  that 
they  cannot  consent  to  proceed  in  the  investigation  of 
a  measure  which  the  promoters  have  not  the  power  of 
accomplishing.' 

The  whole  House  then  discussed  the  Bill,  and 
referred  it  back  to  the  Committee.  The  Opposition 
urged  that  as  it  was  not  now  proposed  to  make  a  rail- 
way according  to  the  preamble,  the  Bill  did  not  com- 
ply with  the  standing  orders,  and,  therefore,  could 
not  be  proceeded  with.  The  preamble  was  allowed 
to  be  altered,  to  allow  of  a  line  being  constructed 
from  Chepstow  to  Pembroke,  and  this  received  the 
royal  assent  4th  August  1845.  ^n  their  Bill  the  next 
year  the  South  Wales  Railway  proposed  alternative 
modes  of  crossing  the  Severn,  but  neither  of  these 
methods  was  sanctioned,  the  Admiralty  being  in 
favour  of  a  bridge  and  the  House  of  Commons  of  a 
tunnel,  so  that  the  South  Wales  Railway  had  to 
avail  itself  of  a  clause  in  another  of  their  Bills  and 
construct  a  railway  along  the  Welsh  side  of  the  Severn 
to  Gloucester.  This  made  the  distance  to  London 
considerably  longer,  and,  therefore,  another  line  was 
projected  from  Gloucester  to  Cheltenham,  and  thence 
through  Chipping  Norton  to  Oxford. 


236      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

In  1846,  the  Great  Western  Railway  agreed  to 
lease  the  South  Wales  Railway  in  perpetuity,  as  the 
various  sections  were  completed.  The  construction  of 
the  line  was  immediately  proceeded  with,  and  the 
boring  of  the  Hillfield  Tunnel  caused  the  good  folks  of 
Newport  considerable  inconvenience.  This  tunnel  is 
200  feet  below  the  surface,  and  lower  than  all  the 
wells  supplying  the  town,  so  that  all  the  wells  ran  dry, 
and  the  inhabitants  had  to  obtain  a  supply  of  water 
from  elsewhere  at  a  large  expense,  so  they  did  not 
think  the  South  Wales  Railway  an  unmixed  bless- 
ing. Mr  Brunei  was  at  this  time  constructing  many 
timber  viaducts  on  the  lines  of  which  he  was  engineer, 
and  he  did  not  neglect  the  South  Wales  Railway  in 
this  particular,  the  principal  one  being  that  at  Landore, 
over  a  mile  long  and  160  feet  high.  The  original 
bridge  across  the  Usk  was  a  wooden  one  1200  feet 
long,  the  centre  span  being  99  feet  and  the  other  70 
feet  wide. 

When  this  bridge  was  almost  completed,  it  was, 
unfortunately,  burnt  down,  and  gave  a  vivid  illustra- 
tion of  the  saw  that  '  great  events  from  little  actions 
spring.'  On  3ist  May  1848,  at  6  P.M.  the  workmen 
engaged  in  completing  the  central  arch,  which  was  on 
an  immense  pile,  consisting  of  several  tons  weight  of 
timber  and  iron  bolts,  were  busy  at  work  driving  in 
the  bolts,  when  one  man  used  a  bolt  which  had  been 
heated  to  an  extraordinary  degree.  This  immediately 
ignited  the  adjoining  timber,  which,  being  highly 
kyanized  or  "  pickled,"  was  as  ignitible  as  gunpowder. 
The  man  had  a  bucket  of  water  at  hand,  as  was  always 
usual,  but  it  was  useless,  for  the  flames  leaped  along 
on  each  side  from  the  centre  to  each  end  of  the  bridge, 
and  the  whole  extent  was  instantly  in  a  terrible  blaze. 
The  men  with  difficulty  escaped  with  their  lives.  A 
team  of  trams  was  passing  at  the  time,  and  the  horses, 
put  to  their  utmost  gallop,  were  obliged  to  dash 
through  the  flames  to  escape.  The  whole  town 
rushed  to  the  great  stone  bridge  adjacent,  and  hundreds 


The  South  Wales  Railway.  237 

of  navvies,  carpenters,  masons,  labourers,  tradesmen 
and  gentlemen  were  quickly  on  the  spot,  but  it  was  of 
no  avail.  The  town  fire-engines  were  brought,  but 
acted  with  no  effect  on  the  awful  flames  bursting  from 
the  surface  of  the  piles,  the  rails,  the  arches,  and  in 
fact  wherever  the  fire  could  lay  hold  of  wood  to  burn. 
The  timber  work  was  so  enormous  that  it  took  a  con- 
siderable time  to  burn  any  portion  wholly  away,  while 
the  patent  composition  used  to  preserve  the  wood  lent 
assistance  to  the  flames,  which  rose  up  with  blue  and 
black  smoke,  filling  all  the  heavens.  At  about  9  P.M. 
the  ponderous  work  of  the  central  arch  gave  way  with 
a  terrible  crash,  and  soon  after  this ;  portion  after 
portion  fell,  until,  with  the  exception  of  here  and 
there  a  solitary  black  and  charred  fragment,  with  some 
portion  on  the  banks,  the  whole  o"f  this  magnificent 
work  was  totally  destroyed.  The  river  was  black 
with  burning  wood,  and  the  banks  became  strewed 
with  enormous  pieces  of  half-burnt  wood  like  the  coast 
after  a  wreck.  The  fire-engine  from  the  barracks  did 
great  execution,  worked  by  two  companies  of  soldiers 
under  the  command  of  officers,  and  the  town  engines 
did  all  they  could,  but  it  was  a  physical  impossibility 
to  save  even  a  fragment  ;  we  might  as  well  suppose  a 
portion  of  a  barrel  of  gunpowder  could  be  found  after 
the  ignition  of  the  barrel.  The  bridge  was  almost 
completed  when  this  unfortunate  calamity  occurred.  It 
had  been  built  of  kyanized  timber  by  the  eminent  con- 
tractors Messrs  Rennie,  Logan  and  Company,  and  cost 
upwards  of  ^20, ooo  in  the  erection.  Fortunately  for 
the  contractors,  the  terms  of  their  contract  with  the 
railway  company  necessitated  them  insuring  the 
timber  bridges  during  construction,  so  that  the  Fire 
Insurance  Company  bore  the  loss. 

Near  Llansamlet,  between  Neath  and  Swansea, 
Mr  Brunei  introduced  a  novel  method  to  prevent  the 
earth,  which  forms  the  side  of  the  deep  cutting,  from 
slipping.  The  usual  procedure  is  to  build  retaining 
walls,  but,  as  these  must  be  very  massive  and  solidly 


238      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

built,  to  save  expense,  Mr  Brunei  designed  four  flying 
arches  over  the  cutting.  The  thrust  of  both  sides  of 
this  cutting  would  be  concentrated  on  the  arch  of  these 
bridges,  so  that  they  were  likely  to  be  forced  up  at  the 
crown  and  so  destroyed.  To  prevent  such  a  contre- 
temps, Mr  Brunei  weighted  the  centres  of  the  arches 
with  masses  of  heavy  copper  slag,  and  by  this  means 
the  thrust  of  the  arches  on  the  sides  of  the  cutting 
balanced  the  thrust  of  the  cutting  on  the  crown  of  the 
arch,  and  the  purpose  in  view,  viz.,  the  non-erection 
of  expensive  retaining  walls,  was  successfully  accom- 
plished. 

The  chef  dceuvre  of  tne  South  Wales  Railway 
is  the  Chepstow  Bridge  over  the  Wye,  which  Mr 
Williams,  in  his  interesting  work,  O^lr  Iron  Roads, 
thus  describes : — 


WYE  BRIDGE. 

A  tubular  bridge  has  been  constructed  over  the 
Wye  at  Chepstow,  on  the  South  Wales  Railway,  to 
which  allusion  must  be  made.  It  consists  of  four 
spans,  three  of  about  100  feet  each,  and  one  of  290 
feet,  extending  altogether  from  bank  to  bank  for  610 
feet. 

The  chief  span  is  a  modification  of  the  suspension 
principle,  the  great  length  of  the  girders  requiring 
more  support  than  that  afforded  by  the  piers  alone  at 
each  extremity.  Mr  Brunei  accordingly  contrived 
that  this  should  be  given  by  means  of  a  tube  309  feet 
in  length  and  9  in  diameter,  which,  having  been  raised 
to  the  summit  of  piers  erected  on  the  east  bank  and  in 
the  centre  of  the  river,  is  strengthened  by  massive 
chains  secured  to  the  girders.  These  girders  are  50 
feet  above  high  water  mark  at  spring  tides,  which  here 
rise  from  50  to  60  feet,  being  more  than  any  other 
river  in  the  kingdom. 

In  sinking  the  cylinders  to  form  the  piers  of  the 


The  South  Wales  Railway.  239 

bridge,  the  workmen  had  first  to  pass  through  29  feet 
of  blue  clay  and  sand,  below  which  they  met  with  a 
thin  bed  of  peat  containing  timber,  some  solid  oak, 
hazel-nuts,  and  other  similar  substances.  They  next 
came  to  several  feet  of  fine  blue  gravel,  and  then  they 
reached  a  bed  of  boulders,  upon  which  the  cylinders 
were  originally  intended  to  rest.  After  this  was  a 
bed  of  red  marl,  beneath  which  was  solid  rock  like 
millstone  grit,  and  into  this  the  cylinders  were  sunk. 
The  mode  in  which  this  part  of  the  work  was  per- 
formed was  curious.  The  cylinders  were  placed  on 
planks  to  prevent  their  cutting  into  the  soft  mud. 
One  by  one  cylinders  were  added  until  they  had 
reached  the  top  of  the  stage  (about  100  feet  in  height) 
which  had  been  erected  for  the  purpose  of  sinking 
them.  The  weight  of  the  column- now  cut  through 
the  planks,  and  the  cylinder  sank  about  6  feet  into  the 
mud.  Two  or  three  men  then  descended  into  it,  and, 
as  they  removed  the  contents,  the  cylinder  continued 
to  sink,  and  as  it  descended  fresh  cylinders  were  added 
at  the  top.  This  process  continued  without  interrup- 
tion till  a  depth  of  about  17  feet  was  attained,  and 
then  a  spring  was  tapped,  and  without  a  moment's 
notice  the  water  broke  in  from  below  in  such  force  as 
to  require  the  constant  action  of  two  1 3-inch  pumps 
worked  by  an  engine.  A  remarkable  fact  attending 
this  occurence  was,  that  the  spring  water  invariably 
rose  in  the  cylinder  exactly  at  that  height  to  which  the 
tube  was  standing  in  the  river  at  the  moment.  That 
it  was  not  an  interruption  from  the  Wye  was  con-r 
sidered  to  be  beyond  dispute,  inasmuch  as  the  river 
at  this  point,  from  the  action  of  the  tide,  was  always 
heavily  tainted  with  mud,  while  the  water  which 
rushed  into  the  cylinder  from  below  was  of  exceeding 
purity,  and  did  not  contain  a  particle  of  salt.' 

The  first  locomotive  engine  on  the  South  Wales 
Railway,  named  the  '  Dove,'  and  a  tender  were  hauled 
from  Gloucester  on  a  carriage  built  purposely,  and 
drawn  by  eighteen  fine  grey  horses.  Four  superior 


240      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

black  horses  hauled  the  tender.  The  novelty  of  the 
load  and  the  beauty  of  the  teams  drew  the  attention 
of  a  number  of  people.  In  August  1849,  a  committee 
of  shareholders  was  appointed,  who  recommended  the 
abandonment  of  the  line  from  Whitland  to  Fishguard, 
and,  consequently,  this  portion  of  the  line  was  not  con- 
structed, so  that  the  Irish  connection  is  via  Milford. 
The  Great  Western  Railway  leased  the  South  Wales 
Railway  as  soon  as  the  various  sections  were  opened. 
At  first  a  rent  of  ^46,000  per  annum  for  the  whole  line 
was  paid,  together  with  two-thirds  of  net  profit — the 
Great  Western  Railway  providing  rolling  stock.  This 
arrangement  did  not,  however,  work  well,  and  in  1861 
a  rather  serious  quarrel  arose  between  the  two  com- 
panies, because  the  Great  Western  Railway  contended 
that  the  Barlow  saddle  rail  was  not  suitable  for  the 
traffic,  and  they  renewed  it  with  their  ordinary  pattern 
rail,  charging  the  expenses  to  renewal  of  permanent 
way,  and  so  reducing  the  net  profit  considerably.  The 
two  railways  thereupon  went  to  arbitration,  and  a  new 
arrangement  was  entered  into,  which  finally  resulted 
in  the  Great  Western  Railway  absorbing  the  South 
Wales  Railway  into  its  own  system. 

The  route  to  South  Wales  via  Gloucester  was 
from  the  very  first  constructed  as  one  necessary  from 
the  force  of  circumstances,  or  in  other  words  it  was 
felt  that  the  direct  route  should  branch  from  the  Great 
Western  system  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bristol,  but 
the  river  Severn  debarred  the  physical  continuation  of 
such  a  direct  line.  The  Bristol  and  South  Wales 
Union  Railway  was  therefore  formed  in  1846,  to  con- 
struct a  line,  14^  miles  long,  from  Bristol  to  New 
Passage,  thence  a  steam  ferry  across  the  Severn  to 
Portskewett,  which  joined  the  South  Wales  Railway 
by  a  short  branch.  This  shortened  route  was  not 
opened  until  1863,  and  although  the  distance  between 
London  and  Newport  and  stations  below  on  the  South 
Wales  Railway  was  thereby  shortened  by  some  miles, 
the  route,  save  for  the  local  traffic  between  Bristol  and 


The  South  Wales  Railway.  241 

South  Wales,  was  never  popular  in  consequence  of 
the  ferry.  Brunei  is  incorrectly  reported  to  have  pro- 
posed ferrying  the  first-class  railway  carriages  across 
to  save  the  passengers  the  trouble  of  changing  to 
and  from  the  steamers.  The  mistake  arose  through 
an  error  of  a  newspaper  reporter,  who,  in  giving  an 
account  of  a  meeting  of  shareholders  of  the  Bristol 
and  South  Wales  Union  Railway,  held  at  Bristol  on 
9th  March  1847,  attributed  such  a  statement  to  Mr 
Brunei,  when,  as  a  fact,  he  was  not  present  at  the 
meeting  at  all. 

The  observation  as  to  the  railway  carriages  cross- 
ing the  river  was  made  by  one  of  the  Directors,  who 
said  '  He  believed  that  Mr  Brunei  expected  to  be  able/ 
etc.  The  reporter  failed  to  note  that  it  was  a  Director 
speaking,  which,  together  with  the  omission  of  the 
three  words,  'he  believed  that,'  caused  the  mistake 
and  led  to  rather  an  awkward  contretemps  a  few 
months  later,  when  Mr  Brunei  was  under  cross-exam- 
ination before  a  Parliamentary  Committee. 

The  Great  Western  Railway  took  over  this  short 
connecting  line  and  ferry  in  1868,  after  which  the  pro- 
posals for  a  Severn  Tunnel  assumed  a  practical  shape. 
Much  has  been  written  on  this  gigantic  engineering 
undertaking — a  gigantic  one  even  for  the  Great 
Western  Railway,  with  its  wealth  of  colossal  engineer- 
ing achievements.  The  history  of  the  venture  is  truly 
romantic,  and  has  been  delightfully  told  by  the  late  Mr 
Walker,  the  contractor,  in  his  book. 

This  is  the  most  modern  engineering  triumph  in 
the  history  of  the  Great  Western  Railway,  and  at 
present  no  other  great  works  in  connection  with  the 
Great  Western  Railway  are  contemplated,  nor  indeed 
are  any  such  (so  far  as  can  be  judged)  likely  again  to 
occur  on  its  system.  If  long  lines  of  figures  can  con- 
vey even  an  approximate  idea  of  the  colossal  nature  of 
the  engineering  feat  accomplished  by  the  triumphant 
construction  of  this  subaqueous  tunnel,  we  will,  before 
giving  an  outline  of  the  trials  and  difficulties  which 

Q 


242      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

were  so  successfully  overcome  in  the  construction  of 
the  Severn  Tunnel,  present  to  our  readers'  notice  the 
following: — 3100  men  employed  in  its  construction, 
76,400,000  bricks  used  to  line  it,  36,794  tons  of  Port- 
land cement  used  in  setting  the  bricks,  250  tons  of 
explosives  used  to  blast  the  rock,  30,000,000  gallons  of 
water  pumped  per  day,  and  23,000,000  gallons  of 
water  the  average  quantity  pumped  daily  during  con- 
struction. 

The  tunnel  beneath  the  Severn  was  not  th'e  first 
proposal  of  the  Great  Western  Railway  as  a  means  of 
obtaining  a  shorter  route  to  South  Wales,  the  original 
idea  being  a  bridge  at  Chepstow,  an  Act  for  which  was 
duly  obtained.  The  plans  for  the  tunnel  were  adopted 
in  1871,  and  next  year  an  Act  of  Parliament  author- 
ising its  construction  was  obtained,  and  the  necessary 
works  were  commenced  in  1873.  At  this  time  there 
was  not  a  single  house  at  Sudbrook — the  head- 
quarters of  the  Tunnel  Works — but  when  operations 
were  commenced  a  small  office  and  six  cottages  were 
erected,  and  a  temporary  line  laid  down  to  Portskewett 
Station.  Little  progress  was  made  in  the  construction 
of  the  tunnel,  and  in  1877  the  Great  Western  Railway 
advertised  for  tenders.  Only  three  firms  tendered, 
and  as  the  Directors  considered  them  all  too  high, 
they  determined  to  proceed  with  the  tunnel  themselves  ; 
but  the  progress  was  still  very  slow,  for  by  i8th 
October  1879  only  130  yards  of  a  tunnel  7  feet  in 
diameter  had  been  constructed  on  the  Welsh  side, 
when  an  underground  spring  of  water  was  unex- 
pectedly tapped,  and  the  whole  works  were  completely 
flooded.  This  accident  caused  another  change  in  the 
Directors'  plans,  and  they  now  determined  to  accept, 
with  slight  modifications,  the  tender  of  Mr  T.  A. 
Walker,  one  of  the  three  previously  mentioned.  Mr 
Walker  commenced  operations  on  i8th  December 
1879.  The  specification  stated  that  the  tunnel  was  to 
be  7942  yards  in  length,  and  the  railway  through  the 
tunnel  and  the  connecting  lines  7  miles  5  furlongs 


The  South  Wales  Railway.  243 

long.  It  was  to  be  lined  throughout  with  brickwork, 
2  feet  3  inches  thick,  with  a  brick  invert  for  half  the 
way  through  the  tunnel.  The  permanent  way  was  to 
be  sleepered,  and  the  rails  to  weigh  86  Ibs.  per  yard. 
Afterwards  it  was  decided  to  increase  the  brick  lining 
to  3  feet  in  thickness,  and  to  have  an  invert  the  whole 
length  of  the  tunnel,  to  lay  it  with  the  famed  longi- 
tudinal sleepers  and  Great  Western  bridge  rails,  68  Ibs. 
to  the  yard.  The  lowest  level  of  the  tunnel  in  the 
centre  of  the  river  was  also  increased  by  15  feet,  and 
.the  line  fell  from  the  Welsh  side  by  a  continuing 
gradient  of  i  in  100,  and  on  the  English  side  i  in  90. 
A  considerable  part  of  the  roof  of  the  tunnel  had  al- 
ready been  bricked  in  before  the  decision  to  alter  the 
level  was  arrived  at,  and  Mr  Walker  adopted  a  novel 
and  successful  plan  to  utilise  the  brickwork  already 
executed.  This  he  supported,  and  then  built  under  it 
continuing  side  walls  down  to  the  new  level,  and  the 
invert  under  this. 

The  colossal  new  pump  provided  to  drain  the 
tunnel  burst  on  2d  July  1880,  and  the  works  were 
again  completely  flooded.  The  Great  Western  Rail- 
way provided  another  new  pump  of  immense  power, 
which  was  got  to  work  on  i2th  October  1880.  But, 
despite  the  millions  of  gallons  of  water  pumped  from 
the  tunnel  daily,  the  workings  could  not  be  emptied  of 
water,  so  a  diver  was  sent  to  shut  a  sluice  door  in  the 
middle  of  the  tunnel,  his  instructions  being  to  turn 
the  screw  governing  the  sluice  a  certain  number  of 
times  one  way.  After  several  exciting  attempts  he 
reached  the  sluice  and  carried  out  his  instructions,  but 
to  the  surprise  of  everyone  this  made  no  difference  in 
the  amount  of  water  to  be  dealt  with.  Some  time 
after,  when  the  water  had  been  lowered  sufficiently  to 
allow  of  the  sluice  being  visited,  the  door  was  found 
wide  open,  but  the  mystery  was  explained.  It  was 
found  that  the  screw  controlling  the  door  was  a  left- 
handed  one  instead  of  a  right-handed  one,  as  it  was 
believed  to  be,  so  that  when  Lambert,  the  diver, 


244      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

turned  the  screw  the  number  of  times  as  directed,  he 
really  opened  the  sluice  wider  instead  of  shutting  it,  as 
he  would  have  done  had  it  been  a  right-handed  screw. 
Upon  another  occasion  this  intrepid  diver,  when  in 
the  water,  was  drawn  by  the  power  of  the  pump 
against  the  wind  box  of  the  suction  pipe,  and  it  re- 
quired the  united  efforts  of  three  men  to  haul  him  out 
of  this  dangerous  position. 

The  work  was  further  delayed  by  a  strike  of  the 
men  in  May  1881,  but  this  was  of  short  duration,  and 
for  some  time  the  work  progressed  in  a  satisfactory . 
manner  until  the  junction  of  the  two  headings  was  suc- 
cessfully accomplished  at  10  o'clock  on  the  night  of 
26th  September  1883.  Everything  now  seemed  to 
point  to  a  speedy  conclusion  of  the  great  undertaking, 
when,  on  loth  October  1883,  the  spring  again  broke 
out  and  flooded  the  whole  tunnel.  Efforts  were  im- 
mediately taken  to  obtain  the  mastery  of  the  water, 
and  with  success,  but  the  liquid  element  was  hard  to 
conquer,  for  when  the  subterranean  spring  had  thus 
been  finally  vanquished,  on  the  i7th  October  1883, 
an  immense  tidal  wave  swept  the  Severn,  broke  down 
the  river  wall  built  to  protect  the  land  from  the  effect 
of  these  waves,  which  are  the  highest  in  Europe,  for 
as  far  up  the  Severn  as  its  junction  with  the  Wye  the 
normal  rise  of  the  tide  is  50  feet. 

Such  an  inundation  was  totally  unexpected,  the 
water  rushed  down  the  shaft  and  imprisoned  the 
men,  who  retreated  before  it  to  the  highest  point  in 
the  tunnel,  and  their  lives  were  saved  by  the  natural 
law,  which  prevented  the  water  rising  further  in 
consequence  of  the  resistance  of  the  air  which  had 
been  driven  by  the  inrush  of  the  water  to  this  spot, 
and  as  it  had  no  outlet  it  resisted  the  advance  of  the 
water,  and  the  men  were  consequently  saved  from  a 
watery  grave. 

This  was  the  last  of  the  series  of  untoward  events 
that  retarded  the  completion  of  this  mammoth  work, 
and  by  the  5th  of  September  1885  the  tunnel  was  far 


The  So^ttk  Wales  Railway.  245 

enough  advanced  to  allow  of  a  special  train,  convey- 
ing the  late  Sir  D.  Gooch,  to  pass  through  from  Eng- 
land to  Wales,  50  feet  under  the  bed  of  the  river,  and 
145  feet  below  the  level  of  high  water  spring  tides. 
The  line  was  opened  for  goods  traffic  on  ist  Septem- 
ber 1886,  and  for  passenger  trains  on  ist  December 
of  the  same  year,  while  the  regular  service  of  pas- 
senger trains  between  London  and  South  Wales 
via  the  Severn  Tunnel  was  inaugurated  ist  July 
1889.  Such  is  the  history  of  this  remarkable  triumph 
of  subaqueous  tunnelling. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE  EARLY  CONVERSIONS  FROM  BROAD  TO 
NARROW  GAUGE. 

THE  great  scarcity  of  money  in  the  early  fifties,  and 
the  reaction  that  had  set  in  against  railway  invest- 
ments, together  caused  the  stocks  of  the  Great  Western 
Railway  and  its  Broad  Gauge  allies  to  be  at  consider- 
able discounts,  so  that  it  was  at  that  time  useless  to 
propose  further  extension  of  the  Broad  Gauge  lines 
towards  Liverpool,  Manchester,  and  York,  as  were 
originally  intended,  while  the  principle  of  the  Mixed 
Gauge,  having  been  settled  in  the  West  Midland  and 
Midland  district,  and  all  the  through  traffic  from  the 
North  and  North  West  being  of  necessity  conveyed 
by  Narrow  Gauge  until  it  reached  the  Mixed  Gauge, 
over  which  lines,  as  a  matter  of  convenience,  it  was 
conveyed  as  far  as  possible  in  Narrow  Gauge  vehicles. 
It  will  therefore  be  readily  understood  that  under  these 
circumstances  the  Broad  Gauge  traffic  over  the  Mixed 
Gauge  system  was  principally  of  a  local  character,  the 
remainder  for  Broad  Gauge  destinations  being  of  but 
small  volume,  so  that,  although  both  gauges  were  pro- 
vided, the  Broad  Gauge  was  little  used,  and  the  in- 
creasing demand  for  Narrow  Gauge  accommodation 
on  the  Mixed  Gauge  had  a  tendency  to  cause  the 
remaining  Broad  Gauge  traffic  to  be  still  less  catered 
for,  so  that  the  traffic  was  in  a  measure  forced  into  the 
Narrow  Gauge ;  for  which  traffic  the  management 
were  providing  ample  accommodation. 

The  alteration  of  the   gauge  on  the   Oxford  and 
Birmingham   line  presents  a  curious   problem  to   the 

246 


Early  Conversions  from  Broad  to  Narrow  Gauge.   247 

student  who  endeavours  to  fathom  and  account  for 
the  peculiar  phase  of  human  incongruity  exhibited  by 
the  Great  Western  Railway  Directors  in  connection 
with  this  section  of  their  system. 

The  most  important  fight  between  the  7  feet  and  4 
feet  8|-  inch  rivals,  indeed  the  Battle  of  the  Gauges 
was  fought  over  this  line,  and  after  each  side  had  done 
its  very  utmost,  the  result  was  a  complete  triumph  for 
the  sesquipedalians,  who  thereby  gained  admittance 
to  Birmingham  and  Wolverhampton — the  very  centre 
of  the  London  and  North  Western  preserves,  while 
the  victory  also  gave  the  Great  Western  means  of 
competing  with  its  rival  the  Midland,  which  had,  by 
obtaining  the  railway  from  Birmingham  to  Bristol, 
entered  into  direct  conflict  with  the  Great  Western 
Railway.  The  Broad  Gauge  lines",  therefore,  had  at 
this  time  all  the  advantages  they  could  desire  to 
enable  them  to  compete  for  the  traffic  between  the 
North  Western  districts  and  London,  and  the  West 
and  South  of  England,  yet  it  was  on  this  very  section, 
after  so  fierce  a  fight,  and  a  victory  so  hardly  gained, 
that  the  retrograde  movement  was  first  inaugurated. 
Nations  and  individuals  speak  proudly  of  any  hard- 
earned  advantage  they  have  gained,  and  talk  of  dying 
to  defend  such  privileges  rather  than  surrender  them  ; 
but  with  the  Broad  Gauge  lines  tout  cela  change1,  for 
the  whole  advantage  of  the  Battle  of  the  Gauges  was 
quietly  surrendered  ;  for  after  exactly  nine  years'  ex- 
perience of  the  Broad  Gauge  to  Birmingham,  the  7 
feet  gauge  trains  were  withdrawn  and  the  Narrow 
Gauge  ones  only  were  to  be  found  North  of  Oxford. 
In  August  1859,  the  Oxford  and  Worcester  and 
Wolverhampton  Railway  obtained  Parliamentary  sanc- 
tion to  abandon  the  Broad  Gauge  on  its  system,  and  to 
use  the  capital  raised  for  Broad  Gauge  purposes  to 
extend  Narrow  Gauge  branches ;  this  alteration  of 
gauge  was  speedily  carried  out.  In  1860  the  various 
lines,  217  miles  in  length,  constructed  in  connection 
with  the  Oxford,  Worcester  and  Wolverhampton  Rail- 


248      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

way,  were  amalgamated  and  called  the  West  Midland 
Railway,  and  on  ist  July  1861  the  Great  Western 
Railway  leased  the  West  Midland  Railway  for  a  term 
of  999  years.  This  lease  provided  for  '  the  Narrow 
Gauge  to  be  laid  down  between  Reading  and  Padding- 
ton,  and  from  the  junction  near  Bull's  Bridge  to 
Brentford,  with  all  reasonable  despatch,  so  as,  if  possible, 
to  be  ready  for  the  reception  of  Narrow  Gauge  traffic 
on  the  opening  of  the  Worcester  and  Hereford  and 
Severn  Valley.  On  and  after  the  opening  of  the 
Narrow  Gauge  to  London,  through  and  express  trains 
are  to  be  worked  over  the  two  systems,  so  as  to 
thoroughly  develop  the  traffic,  as  if  they  were  one 
system.' 

In  1 86 1  the  Wycombe  Railway  obtained  an  Act  to 
construct  a  branch  from  Princes  Risborough  to  Ayles- 
bury,  a  distance  of  7  miles,  which  was  constructed  and 
opened  for  traffic  in  about  two  years.  The  Wycombe 
Railway  was  amalgamated  with  the  Great  Western 
Railway  on  ist  February  1867  ;  the  Aylesbury  branch 
thus  became  part  of  the  Great  Western  system.  It 
was  on  this  short  section  that  the  conversion  of  gauge 
was  first  undertaken,  it  taking  place  in  1868  (this 
branch  was  for  two  years  entirely  cut  off  from  the 
other  parts  of  the  Great  Western  system,  as  the  main 
line  of  the  Wycombe  Railway  was  not  converted  till 
1870). 

The  next  year,  1869,  the  first  important  con- 
version was  made.  This  was  not  an  alteration  of  the  line 
from  the  Broad  to  Narrow  Gauge,  but  only  consisted 
in  removing  the  third  rail  from  the  Mixed  Gauge  lines 
North  of  Oxford.  This  was  immediately  followed  by 
the  actual  conversion  of  the  line  from  Grange  Court  to 
Hereford,  a  line  constructed  by  an  independent  com- 
pany (the  Hereford,  Ross  and  Gloucester  Railway), 
and  opened  ist  June  1855,  and  with  an  annual  revenue 
of  about  ;£  1 6,000.  At  Hereford  there  was  already 
a  Narrow  Gauge  line  to  Worcester,  opened  in  1861, 
which  was  one  of  the  companies  forming  the  West 


Early  Conversions  from  Broad  to  Narrow  Gauge.   249 

Midland  Railway,  and  was  therefore  part  of  the  lines 
leased  by  the  Great  Western  Railway,  so  that  the 
narrow  gauging  of  this  portion  of  the  line  opened  a 
shorter  route  to  the  Western  Narrow  Gauge  portions 
of  the  Great  Western  system. 

The  first  complete  conversion  consisted  of  (A.) 
The  mixing  of  the  gauge  in  the  extensive  Gloucester 
Station  Yard — a  most  difficult  undertaking,  in  con- 
sequence of  all  trains  arriving  at  and  departing  from 
a  single  platform  at  Gloucester. 

(B.)  Mixing  the  gauges  from  Gloucester  to 
Grange  Court,  22^-  miles,  at  which  point  the  single 
Broad  Gauge  line  to  Hereford  branches  off.  This 
work  was  successfully  carried  out,  and  now  the  line 
had  to  be  closed  for  the  purpose  of  altering  the  lines 
from  the  Broad  to  the  Narrow  Gauge.  To  minimise 
the  inconvenience  as  much  as  possible,  the  Great 
Western  Railway  arranged  with  Mr  Hughes,  of 
Bayswater,  to  supply  ten  omnibuses  to  convey  the 
passengers  between  Hereford  and  Ross.  This 
service  commenced  on  Monday,  i6th  August  1869. 

Four  hundred  and  fifty  permanent  way  men  were 
conveyed  in  three  special  trains  to  Barr's  Court 
Station  on  the  Saturday,  and  a  train  of  forty  Broad 
Gauge  covered  goods  waggons  was  provided  for 
the  men  to  sleep  in,  the  vehicles  were  white-washed 
within,  and  clean  straw  and  new  sacks  provided  for 
the  men's  bedding.  A  first-class  carriage  was  pro- 
vided for  the  accommodation  of  the  staff.  Operations 
commenced  at  4  A.M.  on  the  Sunday  morning,  when 
an  engineer  placed  flags  along  the  line  to  mark  out 
each  gang's  work  for  the  day.  Each  gang  consisted 
of  twenty-two  men  and  a  ganger.  For  their  use  the 
company  provided  a  cask  of  water,  a  '  devil '  iron 
pot,  and  the  requisite  fuel  for  cooking.  The  men 
were  paid  their  usual  wages  for  9^-  hours  work  in- 
stead of  12,  the  other  2\  hours  being  paid  as  over- 
time. An  additional  1 5d.  per  day  was  also  paid  them 
for  ration  money.  By  Monday  evening  the  conver- 


250      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

sion  was  completed  as  far  as  Fawley,  and  to  Ross 
on  Tuesday  night,  on  Wednesday  at  10.30  P.M.  the 
Narrow  Gauge  had  reached  Mitcheldean  Road,  and 
the  whole  work  to  Grange  Court  was  completed  by 
Thursday  night,  and  the  next  morning  a  service  of 
Narrow  Gauge  trains  commenced  to  run.  It  had  taken 
but  five  days  to  convert  the  whole  22^  miles.  The  work 
consisted  of  withdrawing  3800  bolts  in  each  mile,  or 
85,500  in  all,  drilling  the  same  number  of  holes  in 
the  sleepers  and  refixing  the  bolts,  and  screwing  the 
nuts  up  taut,  and  lifting  the  rails  sideways  27 \  inches. 
The  metals  consisted  of  four  kinds,  and  different  tools 
were  required  to  deal  with  each  class,  so  that  caused 
additional  labour  and  preparation. 

All  the  conversion  was  not  carried  out  on  one 
side  of  the  line,  as  of  necessity,  when  stations  were 
on  opposite  sides  of  the  line,  the  rail  further  from 
the  platform  was  the  one  which  had  to  be  shifted. 
This  caused  the  changing  of  sides  three  times  during 
the  operation.  A  mile  and  a  half  of  the  work  was 
done  in  tunnels,  and  this  naturally  added  to  the 
difficulty  of  the  undertaking.  The  officials  were 
extremely  pleased  with  the  behaviour  of  the  men, 
who  never  took  their  clothes  off  the  whole  time, 
and  during  the  five  days  only  had  3|-  hours  rest 
each  night,  20^  hours  of  every  24  being  either  spent 
in  working,  getting  to  work,  or  by  short  stops  for 
meals.  On  the  Wednesday  night  the  men  were  so 
tired  that  they  preferred  to  camp  out  at  the  spot 
where  they  were  working  rather  than  return  to  the 
sleeping  train  at  Grange  Courfe 

Thus  was  the  first  complete  change  of  gauge 
carried  out  on  the  Great  Western  Railway,  and, 
alas,  this  was  but  the  beginning  of  a  retrogressive 
policy,  and  as  is  usual  after  the  accomplishment  of 
a  first  bad  action,  to  stifle  reproach,  the  evil  ways 
are  persevered  in  and  still  further  injustice  is  done 
to  the  whole  system. 

So  was  it  with  the  conversion    of  the   gauge  on 


Early  Conversions  from  Broad  to  Narrow  Gauge.   251 

the  Great  Western  Railway.  A  new  generation  of 
officials  had  arisen  who  were  not  knit  closely  to- 
gether by  that  esprit  de  corps  begotten  of  a  deter- 
mination to  succeed  and  overcome  all  opposition, 
which  spirit  had  been  so  noticeable  in  the  original 
band  of  Great  Western  Railway  pioneers  who 
had  fought  so  many  long  and  resolute  battles  for 
the  grand  7  feet  gauge.  Therefore,  having  once 
commenced  the  alteration  of  the  gauge,  other  con- 
versions soon  followed.  The  table  below  gives 
particulars  in  chronological  order  of  the  alterations 
in  gauge. 

Date.                                         Section.  Miles. 

1868  Princes  Risborough  to  Aylesbury,     .         .  7 

1869  Grange  Court  (Gloucester)  to  Hereford,    .  22^- 
1869  Oxford  to  Wolverhampton,  with  Stratford 

and  Great  Bridge  branches,         .         .  89! 

1869  Reading  to  Basingstoke,  .         .         .         .  16 

1870  Maidenhead  to  Oxford,    .         .         .         .  37 

1871  West  Drayton  to  Uxbridge,      ...  z\ 

1871  Whitland  to  Carmarthen,          .         .         .  13! 

1872  Swindon  to  Milford,  with  all  branches,      .         239^ 
1872         Vale  of  Neath,  Merthyr  Tyd vil  branch,  and 

Grange  Court  to  Cheltenham,     .         .  6o| 
1872         Radley  to  Abingdon,        ....  2 

1872  Didcot  to  Oxford,    .         .         .         .         .  io£ 

1873  Bristol  and  South  Wales  Union,        .         .  12 

1874  Thingley   Junction  to  Dorchester,  West- 

bury    to    Salisbury,    Barthampton    to 
Bradford    Junction,    North    Somerset 
Junction  (Bristol)  to  Frome,  Reading 
to  Holt,  with  Marlborough  and  other 
branches,  .         .         .         .         .         .          1974: 

1874         Dorchester  to  Weymouth,         .         .         .  6£ 

1874  Southcote  Junction  to  Reading,        .         .  if 

1875  Southall  to  Brentford,       ....  4 

1876  Twyford  to  Henley-on-Thames         .         .  4^ 
1878         Uffington  to  Farringdon,           .         . 

1880  Yatton  to  Clevedon,         .... 

1880  Durston  to  Penn  Mill  (Yeovil),         .         .  20^ 

1881  Norton  Fitzwarren  to  Barnstaple,     .         .  42 

1882  Norton  Fitzwarren  to  Minehead,       .         .  22 
1884  Tiverton  Junction  to  Tiverton,          .         .  4 
1891  Creech  Junction  to  Chard,        .         .         .  12 


252      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Date.  Section.  Miles. 

1892         Penzance  to  Truro  (Mixed  Gauge  line),    .  27 

1892  Truro  to  Exeter,  .....  xoo 
1892  St  Erth  to  St  Ives,  Truro  to  Falmouth, 
Burngallow  to  Drinnick  Mill,  Plymouth 
to  Tavistock  (Mixed  Gauge),  Tavistock 
to  Launceston,  Laira  to  Sutton  Har- 
bour, Totnes  and  Totnes  Quay  to  Ash- 
burton,  Churston  to  Brixham,  Newton 
Abbot  to  Kingswear,  Newton  Abbot 
to  Moretonhampstead,  .  .  . 


The  Devon  and  Somerset  Railway  (Norton  Fitz- 
warren  to  Barnstaple),  42^  miles  long,  had  a  very 
short  existence  as  a  Broad  Gauge  line  ;  it  was  only 
opened  in  November  1873,  and  converted  in  May 
1  88  1.  There  must  have  been  something  radically 
wrong  in  its  management  to  allow  of  such  a  gigantic 
blunder  being  perpetrated.  If  it  were  necessary  to  build 
the  railway  Broad  Gauge  in  1873,  why  had  it  become 
necessary  to  alter  its  gauge  seven  and  a  half  years  later, 
while  the  line  from  which  it  branched  remained  the 
Broad  Gauge  until  the  final  conversion  in  May  1892  ? 

With  such  management  it  will  not  be  surprising 
to  learn,  that  of  the  entire  capital  raised  on  behalf  of 
the  Devon  and  Somerset  Railway,  amounting  to  some 
,£1,390,000,  considerably  over  one-third,  or  £512,000, 
represents  arrears  of  debenture  interest  capitalised. 

Even  when  the  gauge  of  this  line  was  altered,  the 
Great  Western  Railway  gave  it  no  better  service,  and 
at  the  present  time,  with  a  difference  of  3  miles  in  favour 
of  the  Great  Western  Railway  route  between  London 
and  Barnstaple,  the  best  train  on  the  London  and 
South  Western  Railway,  over  a  very  much  harder 
line,  performs  the  journey  in  25  minutes  less  time  than 
the  Great  Western  Railway's  quickest  train,  thus,— 

London  and  South  Western  Railway,  210^  miles  ; 
quickest  train,  5  hours  30  minutes.  Great  Western 
Railway,  207  j-  miles  ;  quickest  train,  5  hours  55 
minutes. 

The  Devon  and  Somerset  Railway  is  now  worked 


Early  Conversions  from  Broad  to  Narrow  Gauge.  253 

and  maintained  by  the  Great  Western  Railway  for 
50  per  cent,  of  the  receipts.  The  agreement,  which 
is  perpetual,  was  entered  into  with  the  Bristol  and 
Exeter  Railway,  and  was  made  binding  on  the  Great 
Western  Railway  by  the  Great  Western  and  Bristol 
and  Exeter  Amalgamation  Act,  1876. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE    LATER    DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    RAILWAY. 

IN  1854,  the  Temple  Meads  joint  station  was  laid 
down  with  Narrow  Guage  lines  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  Midland  Railway,  who  had  in  1844  chained  an 
entrance  to  Bristol  by  absorbing  the  Bristol  and  Glou- 
cester Railway,  then  Broad  Gauge,  but  soon  after 
narrowed  by  the  Midland.  But  two  years  earlier 
the  Broad  Gauge  route  to  Birmingham  had  been 
opened  by  the  completion  of  the  line  from  Fenny 
Compton.  The  Great  Western  trains  reached  Bir- 
mingham in  the  same  time  as  the  London  and 
North  Western,  although  the  route  was  16  miles 
longer  than  the  rival  London  and  North  Western. 

In  July  of  the  following  year  the  Great  Western 
and  its  Broad  Gauge  allies  sustained  a  great  loss 
by  the  retirement  from  the  chairmanship  of  Mr  C. 
Russell,  M.P.  for  Reading,  and  who  had  so  ably 
forwarded  the  fortune  of  the  7  feet  gauge  by  his 
energetic  Parliamentary  action,  and  the  great  personal 
interest  he  took  in  the  details  of  the  railway  he  had 
presided  over  for  sixteen  years.  At  this  time  the  half- 
yearly  meetings  of  shareholders  used  to  be  held  alter- 
nately at  London  and  Bristol,  but  for  many  years  now 
past  they  have  been  all  held  in  London. 

The  Great  Western  Railway  shareholders  were 
considerably  agitated  in  1856  as  to  the  connection 
of  Mr  Gooch  and  other  of  their  officials  with  the 
Ruabon  Coal  Company,  and  although  full  explana- 
tions were  given  at  the  time,  the  matter  smouldered 

254 


The  Later  Development  of  tke  Railway.        255 

for  many  years,  and  when  nothing  of  sufficient  im- 
portance could  be  discovered  with  which  to  find 
fault,  the  grumblers  promptly  trotted  out  this  '  old 
man  of  the  sea.'  We  therefore  extract  from  Sir  D. 
Gooch's  diaries  the  following  lucid  explanation  of  the 
whole  matter : — '  It  had  been  found  impossible  to 
get  a  regular  coal  trade  on  our  line,  and  I  proposed 
to  my  company  to  have  some  collieries  of  their  own, 
and  went  to  Wrexham  to  look  at  those  belonging  to 
Mr  Henry  Robertson,  and  also  some  property  of  Sir 
Watkin  W.  Wynn's,  where  a  colliery  might  be  sunk. 
Having  obtained  the  best  information  I  could,  I  advised 
the  Directors  to  buy  up  Robertson's  works,  as  they  were 
in  operation  and  could  be  made  available  for  our  pur- 
pose at  once.  This  was  finally  agreed  upon  by  the 
Directors,  and  the  price  settled,  but  at  this  time  a 
decision  in  regard  to  a  similar  plan  in  operation  on  the 
Eastern  Counties  Railway  showed  it  not  to  be  within 
the  powers  of  the  company,  and  stopped  our  plan.  Mr 
Walpole,  our  Chairman,  then  asked  me  if  I  could  find 
private  parties  to  form  a  company,  and  enter  into  an 
agreement  with  the  Great  Western  Company  to  send 
a  large  fixed  quantity  of  coal  over  their  line.  This  I 
agreed  to  do,  and  took  a  large  stake  in  the  coal  com- 
pany myself,  and  was  to  be  the  chairman.  Feeling 
that  this  might  conflict  with  my  position  as  an  officer 
of  the  railway  company,  I  placed  my  resignation  in  the 
hands  of  Mr  Walpole,  but  he  and  the  Directors  did  not 
think  it  right  to  accept  it.  I,  however,  left  it  in  their 
hands  to  accept  at  any  time,  should  circumstances  make 
it  desirable. 

'  I  felt  there  were  interests  in  the  coal  trade  amongst 
the  shareholders  of  the  railway  who  would  no  doubt  ob- 
ject to  what  had  been  done,  and  such  proved  to  be  the 
case.  Some  parties  went  to  the  Court  of  Chancery  to 
put  an  end  to  the  agreement.  In  this  they  failed,  and 
the  Court  expressed  themselves  strongly  that  what  had 
been  done  was  perfectly  legal  and  right.  I  thus  got  a 
great  deal  of  abuse  by  trying  to  do  a  good  turn  to  the 


256      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

shareholders  of  the  railway,  and  risking  a  good  deal  of 
money  in  doing  so.' 

The  question  of  railway  rates  has  been  one  which 
has  exercised  the  traders  on  one  hand,  and  railway 
officials  and  shareholders  on  the  other,  for  very  many 
years.  As  long  ago  as  1858  the  Great  Western  ran 
amuck  of  its  customers  with  regard  to  the  legality  of 
their  charges  for  goods  carriage,  and  in  that  year  the 
railway  introduced  a  Bill  to  Parliament  to  obtain  a 
better  definition  of  their  powers,  but  the  Bill  was  with- 
drawn, and  again  in  1881-82,  when  the  celebrated  Com- 
mission on  railway  rates  was  sitting,  it  was  Mr  Grier- 
son,  the  late  general  manager  of  the  Great  Western 
Railway,  who  was  the  principal  witness  tendered  by  the 
associated  railways,  thus  showing  they  considered  the 
Great  Western  Railway  to  be  the  principal  line.  Some 
very  interesting  figures  were  given,  in  evidence  as  to 
the  amount  of  traffic  dealt  with  by  the  Great  Western 
Railway  in  twelve  months  at  some  of  their  stations. 
London  was  accredited  with  657,000  tons  (Padding- 
ton,  513,000  tons,  and  Smithfield  144,000  tons)  ;  Bristol, 
495,000  tons;  Birmingham,  250,000  tons;  Bilston, 
120,000  tons;  Bath,  51,000  tons;  and  Evesham, 
22,000  tons. 

Mr  Grierson  died  in  October  1887,  after  being  con- 
nected with  the  Broad  Gauge  railways  for  very  many 
years.  In  May  1861,  the  Great  Western  Railway,  upon 
the  advice  of  Mr  D.  Gooch,  put  down  plant  at  Swindon 
Works,  for  the  purpose  of  making  their  own  rails,  at  a 
cost  of  ,£25,000,  but  in  1878  the  making  of  rails  at 
Swindon  was  discontinued. 

In  1853  a  railway  was  incorporated  as  the  North 
Metropolitan,  the  next  year  a  new  Act  was  obtained, 
and  the  title  changed  to  the  Metropolitan.  This 
authorized  the  construction  of  a  railway  from  the  Great 
Western  Railway  at  Paddington  to  the  General  Post 
Office ;  powers  were  afterwards  obtained  to  allow  the 
City  terminus  to  be  in  Farringdon  Street  instead  of 
the  Post  Office.  The  Great  Western  Railway  sub- 


The  Later  Development  of  the  Railway.         257 

scribed  ,£175,000  of  the  capital,  and  for  the  con- 
venience of  that  company's  through  traffic  the 
Metropolitan  was  laid  out  on  the  Mixed  Gauge,  and 
when  it  was  first  opened  it  was  worked  on  the  Broad 
Gauge  only,  by  the  Great  Western  Railway — a  most 
sensible  arrangement,  and  one  which  ought  never  to 
have  been  relinquished,  seeing  how  well  adapted  the 
wider  vehicles  are  for  conveying  the  immense  crowds 
that  travel  by  every  train  on  this  line.  With  Broad 
Gauge  vehicles  each  train  could  seat  152  more  pas- 
sengers, or  nearly  40,000  additional  passengers  could 
be  properly  conveyed  every  day  on  this  line  without 
any  increase  of  expense.  But  the  wonderful  wisdom 
of  the  advocates  of  the  '  Coal  Waggon  Gauge '  lost 
London  the  great  boon  of  having  the  most  important 
of  its  local  lines  Broad  Gauge. 

The  Act  of  Incorporation  specially  provided  that  the 
line  was  to  be  worked  without  annoyance  from  steam 
or  fire.  At  first  it  was  proposed  to  heat  the  water 
by  means  .of  red-hot  bricks  placed  round  the  boiler, 
and  an  eminent  engineer  designed  such  a  locomotive, 
which  was  built  by  a  Newcastle  firm  ;  but  after  ^4000 
had  been  expended  in  experimenting  with  this  '  hot- 
brick  engine '  it  was  given  up  as  a  failure,  as  the  ex- 
periments that  were  made  conclusively  proved  that 
the  bricks  would  have  required  replacing  by  fresh 
ones  at  nearly  every  station,  so  soon  would  they  have 
cooled.  But  Mr  D.  Gooch  was,  as  usual,  in  the  van 
of  locomotive  improvements,  and  in  1862  he  designed 
and  built  suitable  tank  engines  for  working  this  line. 
By  means  of  a  specially-contrived  fire-box  and  baffle 
plate,  the  engines  consumed  their  own  smoke.  With 
regard  to  the  blast,  he  fitted  these  engines  with  tanks 
under  the  boiler,  into  which  he  discharged  the  waste 
steam  by  reversing  a  valve  at  the  bottom  of  the  blast 
pipe,  so  that  when  the  engine  was  in  an  open  cutting 
she  worked  like  any  other  engine ;  but  when  in  the 
tunnel  the  blast  was  stopped,  and  a  good  ash-pan 
•damper  destroyed  the  blast.  For  some  reason  or  other 

R 


258      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway 

the  Great  Western  Railway  did  not  appear  to  try  to 
work  in  harmony  with  the  Metropolitan  Company,  and 
raised  several  difficulties,  which  did  not  tend  to  the 
smooth  working  of  the  traffic.  The  Great  Western 
said  it  was  not  possible  to  work  this  underground 
system  with  less  than  20  minutes'  intervals  between  the 
trains ;  while  the  Metropolitan  rightly  contended  that 
the  trains  could  safely  follow  each  other  with  but  5 
minutes'  intervals.  The  Great  Western  Company  then 
agreed  to  run  trains  every  quarter  of  an  hour,  and 
commenced  to  do  so  on  loth  January  1863.  At  first 
the  Great  Western  worked  the  Metropolitan,  as  many 
lines  are  now  worked,  for  a  percentage  of  the  receipts, 
the  working  Company  providing  rolling  stock  and 
locomotives  and  station  staff — in  fact,  everything  but 
the  line  and  stations.  The  then  Directors  of  the  Great 
Western  Railway  early  foresaw  that  this  underground 
line  was  sure  to  prove  a  most  profitable  one,  and  they 
therefore,  having  subscribed  a  part  of  the  capital,  and 
working  the  line  as  well,  considered  that  they  had  the 
upper  hand  of  the  Metropolitan,  and  thought  by 
putting  pressure  on  them  they  would  be  enabled  to 
get  complete  control  of  the  line  and  absorb  it  into 
their  own  system ;  so  acting  on  the  advice  of  Sir 
Robert  Baxter,  their  Parliamentary  counsel,  the  Great 
Western  gave  the  Metropolitan  three  months'  notice 
that  they  would  cease  to  work  the  line  after  3Oth 
October  1863. 

The  Metropolitan  Railway  Directors,  with  com- 
mendable promptitude,  got  Narrow  Gauge  rolling 
stock  and  locomotives  contracted  for,  to  be  delivered 
by  that  date.  What  the  Great  Western  Railway  did 
next,  we  are  sorry  to  say,  does  not  in  any  way  tend  to 
reflect  credit  on  those  who  then  controlled  the  policy 
of  that  company ;  for,  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
Metropolitan  Directors,  they  received  notice  from  the 
Great  Western  Railway  stating  that  their  trains  would 
cease  to  run  over  the  Metropolitan  lines  after  9th 
August  1863.  The  second  notice  was  only  given  on 


The  Later  Development  of  the  Railway.        259 

the  ist  of  August,  and  doubtless  the  majority  of  the 
then  Great  Western  Directors  thought  by  this  coup 
the  Metropolitan  would  be  entirely  at  their  mercy, 
and  that  the  smaller  line  would  be  obliged  to  accept 
their  terms  of  compromise,  as  not  only  were  the  trains 
to  be  withdrawn,  but  the  Great  Western  threatened 
to  withdraw  the  staff  at  all  the  stations  as  well,  who 
were,  of  course,  their  servants.  In  justice  to  the 
then  Great  Western  Board,  we  mention  that  this 
latter  threat  they  did  not  carry  out ;  had  they  done 
so,  there  is  little  doubt  that  the  Metropolitan  would 
have  been  paralyzed  for  a  time  at  least.  Our  readers 
will  perhaps  think  that  there  must  have  been  some 
error  in  the  agreement,  which  allowed  the  Great 
Western  to  act  in  this  arbitrary  manner,  and  so  there 
was,  for  neither  of  the  railway  companies  had  affixed 
their  seals  to  the  working  agreement,  which  was  there- 
fore of  no  more  value  than  waste  paper,  and  was  bind- 
ing on  neither  company. 

This  startling  difficulty  was,  however,  most  suc- 
cessfully met  by  the  energy  and  resource  of  Mr  (now 
Sir)  Myles  Fenton,  the  then  manager  of  the  Metro- 
politan Company,  who,  at  a  few  hours'  notice,  ar- 
ranged for  an  emergency  service  of  Narrow  Gauge 
trains  to  commence  running  between  Bishop's  Road 
and  Farringdon  Street  on  the  morning  of  loth  August. 
This  he  did  by  borrowing  the  passenger  carriages  from 
the  London  and  North  Western,  and  the  locomotives 
from  the  Great  Northern  Railway.  These  latter  were 
old  main  line  tender  engines,  and  were  not  adapted  for 
working  the  traffic  ;  but  in  cases  like  these,  the  maxim, 
'  If  one  cannot  get  what  one  wants  one  must  take 
what  one  can  get,'  is  a  most  useful  one. 

Sir  Myles  Fenton  gave  the  writer  a  vivid  account 
of  these  preparations.  For  the  whole  nine  nights 
between  the  date  of  the  Great  Western  notice  and  the 
commencement  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  trains  he  never 
had  his  clothes  off,  nor  slept  in  a  bed,  but  snatched  an 
hour  or  so  of  repose  in  his  office  chair,  as  opportunity 


260      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

offered.  The  difficulty  was  to  provide  some  kind  of 
condensing  apparatus  on  the  Great  Northern  tender 
engines,  it  being  necessary  to  use  flexible  connecting 
pipes  between  the  engine  and  tender,  strong  enough 
to  withstand  the  steam'  pressure ;  but  Mr  Sturrock, 
the  then  locomotive  superintendent  of  the  Great  Nor- 
thern Railway  (to  which  line  he  came  from  the  Great 
Western  Railway),  just  two  days  before  the  Narrow 
Gauge  service  was  to  commence,  was  successful 

o 

enough  to  contrive  the  necessary  flexible  pipes  by 
which  the  exhaust  steam  was  conveyed  from  the  en- 
gine to  the  water  tank  of  the  tender,  but  these  pipes 
very  frequently  burst,  and  all  concerned  were  far  from 
sorry  when  the  proper  engines  were  delivered. 

Every  evening,  as  soon  as  the  Great  Western 
service  of  trains  for  the  day  was  over,  the  anxious 
officials  were  experimenting  with  the  Great  Northern 
tender  engines,  which  experiments  were  carried  on 
until  the  next  morning's  service  commenced.  This 
introduction  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  on  the  Metro- 
politan was  certainly  made  under  rather  inauspi- 
cious circumstances,  for  the  Great  Northern  engine 
of  almost  the  first  train  ran  off  the  line  soon  after 
leaving  Bishop's  Road ;  while  once  during  the  day 
both  an  up  and  down  train  were  off  the  lines  at  the 
same  time  at  the  Gower  Street  Station.  In  all,  six 
trains  ran  off  the  line  on  this  fateful  loth  August. 
The  reason  for  these  derailments  was  not  hard  to 
find.  On  a  line  like  the  Metropolitan,  the  permanent 
way  can  only  be  attended  to  at  night  after  the  traffic 
is  over,  and  while  the  line  was  worked  Broad  Gauge 
only,  no  attention  was  given  to  the  packing  of  the  middle 
rail,  so  that  it  was  not  properly  ballasted,  and  therefore 
spread  out  when  the  trains  went  over  it.  Naturally 
these  contretemps  disorganised  the  service  during  the 
whole  of  the  day.  In  fact,  so  alarming  wTere  the 
rumours  of  accidents  to  the  Narrow  Gauge  trains, 
that  at  some  of  the  stations  the  booking-clerks  refused 
to  issue  tickets  for  a  time.  Luckily,  the  trains  were 


The  Later  Development  of  the  Railway.        261 

soon  got  on  the  line  again,  and  in  a  few  days  the 
service  was  working  as  regularly  as  if  no  sudden 
alterations  had  been  made.  Had  the  connecting 
line  between  the  Great  Northern  and  Metropolitan 
Railway  at  King's  Cross,  by  which  the  Narrow  Gauge 
rolling  stock  and  locomotives  gained  access  to  the 
Metropolitan  system,  been  in  a  less  forward  condition 
when  the  Great  Western  Railway  so  suddenly  refused 
to  work  the  underground  trains,  London  would  have 
been  deprived  of  this  newly-inaugurated  means  of 
conveyance  which  had  already  obtained  an  immense 
amount  of  public  favour,  and  all  because  the  Great 
Western  officials  were  not  allowed  to  do  just  as  they 
liked  with  the  Metropolitan  Railway. 

The  remarkable  acuteness  of  Sir  Myles  Fenton  at 
this  critical  time  secured  the  complete  independence 
of  the  Metropolitan  Railway,  and  the  Great  WTestern 
were  repaid  their  ^175,000  as  soon  as  possible.  The 
great  tax  of  these  nine  busy  days  and  nights  told  on 
Sir  Myles  Fenton,  for  after  all  was  arranged  the 
reaction  came,  and  he  was  seriously  ill  for  a  month 
after. 

The  Metropolitan  Directors  at  their  next  meeting 
passed  a  hearty  vote  of  thanks  to  their  energetic 
General  Manager  for  the  clever  way  in  which  he  had 
overcome  what  threatened  to  be  a  serious  episode  in 
the  history  of  their  railway,  and  handsomely  recog- 
nised his  services  at  this  critical  period  of  the  under- 
taking. 

The  Great  Western  Narrow  Gauge  engines  built 
in  later  years  for  the  Metropolitan  traffic,  and  which 
are  still  working,  are  yet  unequalled  for  quickly  obtain- 
ing a  good  rate  of  speed  and  for  sharp  stopping,  con- 
taining, as  they  do,  all  the  requisites  of  good  tank 
engines,  and  are  eminently  suited  for  the  class  of  work, 
in  addition  to  which  their  handsome  exterior,  with  the 
profusion  of  bright  brass  work,  at  once  marks  them 
out  for  general  admiration,  especially  when  compared 
with  the  dingy  monsters  of  other  companies  using  the 


262      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

underground.  A  cab  for  the  men's  protection  would 
be  a  great  improvement  to  these  Great  Western 
engines.  Having  said  so  much  in  favour  of  the  Great 
Western  .Narrow  Gauge  Metropolitan  tanks,  we  are 
sorry  we  cannot  say  the  same  for  the  rolling  stock 
that  until  recently  formed  the  middle  circle  trains. 
It  seemed  as  if  the  Great  Western  wished  to  give  the 
London  public  a  daily  object  lesson  of  the  superiority 
of  the  Broad  Gauge  so  far  as  passenger  vehicles  were 
concerned,  and  for  this  purpose  provided  some  of  the 
worst  Narrow  Gauge  coaches  possible,  they  were  but 
7  feet  wide,  and  although  the  third-class  ones  were  not 
labelled  '  to  seat  five  a  side/  yet  this  being  the  usual 
number,  five  people  usually  squeezed  on  each  side, 
with  the  result  of  general  discomfort  and  mutual 
recrimination  as  to  taking  more  than  one's  share  of  the 
allotted  space ;  to  meet  the  Government  recfbire- 
ments  these  vehicles  should  have  been  7  feet  6  inches 
wide.  There  was  a  space  of  but  18  inches  between 
the  seats,  so  that  the  passengers  generally,  and  long- 
limbed  ones  in  particular,  had  great  difficulty  in 
properly  disposing  of  their  legs.  Unhappily  placed 
was  the  individual  (and  his  fellow-travellers  also) 
who  wished  to  alight  from  a  seat  near  the  off  side  in 
a  full  vehicle  of  this  description. 

The  extension  of  the  Metropolitan  system  to 
Hammersmith  for  some  years  after  it  was  opened, 
was  a  source  of  considerable  delay  to  the  Great 
Western  trains,  as  the  two  railways  crossed  one 
another  on  the  level  between  Bishop's  Road  and 
Westbourne  Park  Stations,  and  as  the  Metropolitan 
trains  amounted  to  sixteen  an  hour,  the  inconveni- 
ence was  very  great.  To  prevent  these  delays  the 
Hammersmith  line  was  diverted,  and  made  to  pass 
under  the  Great  Western  lines,  so  that  the  working  of 
the  services  do  not  now  interfere  with  each  other. 
The  Great  Western  Railway  has  recently  provided 
very  superior  vehicles  for  their  services  on  the  Metro- 
politan system,  and  these  trains  are  quite  equal  to  any 


The  Later  Development  of  the  Railway.        263 

other  third-class  ones  now  in  use.  A  noticeable  part 
of  their  construction  is  the  long  wheel  base  of  the 
third-class  brake  carriages,  these  vehicles  having  five 
wide  passenger  compartments  and  a  guards'  compart- 
ment ;  quite  equal  to  the  six  compartments,  and  yet 
only  have  four  wheels.  There  must  therefore  be  a  great 
strain  on  the  axles,  and  it  would  appear  to  be  unadvis- 
able  to  run  such  vehicles  at  high  speed.  The  Great 
Western  Railway  has  also  further  augmented  their 
Metropolitan  services,  by  running  trains  from  Aid- 
gate  to  Hammersmith  and  Richmond  in  addition  to 
the  middle  circle  trains,  and  during  the  rebuilding  of 
Moorgate  Street  Station  the  Great  Western  main 
line  trains  from  the  Metropolitan  Railway  also  arrive 
and  depart  from  Aldgate. 

Upon  the  resignation  of  Mr  Saunders  in  1863,  the 
dual  office  of  secretary  and  general  superintendent, 
which  he  had  filled,  were  made  two  distinct  positions. 

To  show  how  completely  the  Great  Western  kept 
aloof  from  its  Narrow  Gauge  neighbours,  at  this  time 
(1863)  it  was  only  connected  with  the  London  and 
South  Western  at  Yeovil  by  a  line  then  recently  opened, 
and  with  the  London  and  North  Western  at  Oxford, 
Banbury  and  Leamington. 

In  September  1864  Mr  D.  Gooch  retired  from 
the  Great  Western  Railway  after  twenty-seven  years 
service,  and  Mr  Armstrong  was  appointed  locomotive 
superintendent,  which  position  the  latter  held  until  his 
death  in  June  1877. 

When  it  became  known  that  Mr  Gooch  had  deter- 
mined to  retire,  the  officers  and  servants  of  the  rail- 
way made  preparations  to  present  him  with  an  address, 
and  Mrs  Gooch  with  a  present.  The  presentations  took 
place  at  Swindon,  on  3d  June  1865,  and  Mr  Gooch 
thus  feelingly  alludes  to  the  occasion  : — '  I  hope  those 
who  succeed  me  will  value  that  address  more  than  any- 
thing I  can  leave  behind  me,  and  also  preserve  the 
brooch  and  earrings  as  heirlooms  in  the  family  for  ever. 
Man  can  receive  no  higher  reward  on  earth  than  that 


264      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

of  the  goodwill  and  esteem  of  those  with  whom  he  has 
been  associated  through  life,  and  my  life  has  been 
passed  in  daily  communication,  both  as  master  and 
brother  officer,  with  those  who  gave  expression  to 
their  feelings  on  this  occasion.  I  count  this  3d  of 
June  as  the  brightest  day  in  my  life.' 

1865  saw  the  completion  of  the  Broad  Gauge  to 
Milford  Haven,  and  a  few  years  later  the  Great 
Western  services  of  steamboats  to  the  Irish  ports  were 
inaugurated. 

The  Channel  Islands  service  from  Weymouth  is 
now  worked  by  the  Great  Western  Railway  and  under 
the  present  improved  management  is  gaining  greatly 
in  public  favour. 

The  advantage  of  the  Weymouth  route  to  the 
Channel  Islands  is  the  short  sea  passage,  the  distance 
to  Jersey  being  only  112  miles,  against  160  from  South- 
ampton ;  but  against  this  advantage  is  the  long  time 
spent  on  the  railway  journey  of  168  miles  from  London 
to  Weymouth,  while  under  the  old  conditions  there 
was  also  the  inconvenience  and  expense  of  a  con- 
veyance from  the  railway  station  to  the  steamer. 

The  Great  Western  could  certainly  save  an  hour 
in  the  railway  journey  to  Weymouth.  Already  there 
is  one  train  doing  the  distance  in  4  hours  5  minutes 
(which  is  only  41 J  miles  an  hour),  while  the  boat  ex- 
press takes  4  hours  55  minutes.  If  the  trains  ran  via 
the  Berks  and  Hants  line,  the  distance  would  only  be 
1 60  miles,  and  the  lo-minute  refreshment  stop  at 
Swindon  would  be  saved  also  ;  then,  the  journey  ought 
to  be  easily  done  in  3^  hours. 

The  service  used  to  be  performed  six  days  a  week 
in  each  direction  during  the  summer,  three  times 
weekly  in  the  autumn  and  spring,  and  but  twice  a 
week  during  the  winter  months.  The  boats  used  to 
be  paddle-wheel  steamers  belonging  to  the  Weymouth 
and  Channel  Islands  Steamship  Company.  These 
boats  were  originally  built  of  wood,  but,  when  repairs 
were  necessary,  iron  was  used  to  replace  the  wood,  so 


The  Later  Development  of  the  Railway.         265 

that,  after  many  years  of  this  system  of  repair,  the 
original  fabric  disappeared,  and  the  boats  became  iron 
steamships.  As  long  as  the  steamers  belonged  to  an 
independent  company,  the  Great  Western  Railway 
took  no  pains  to  develop  the  traffic. 

The  last  train  for  Weymouth  used  to  leave 
Paddington  at  5.45  P.M.,  and  in  the  summer  the 
boat  left  Weymouth  at  11.15  P.M.,  soon  after  the 
train  arrived.  But  the  difficulty  and  danger  of 
entering  Guernsey  Harbour  except  in  daylight  caused 
the  departure  of  the  steamer  from  Weymouth  to 
be  delayed  till  2.15  A.M.  during  the  winter,  and 
so  prolonged  the  time  spent  en  route ;  while  the 
same  difficulty  at  Guernsey  made  it  necessary 
for  the  return  voyage  to  be  made  in  the  morning. 
For  some  summers,  the  Weymouth  company's 
boats  left  Jersey  at  5  P.M.,  and  were  still  able  to  clear 
from  Guernsey  before  darkness  set  in,  but  this  meant 
an  uncomfortable  stay  in  Weymouth  for  several  hours 
in  the  early  morning,  while,  by  the  usual  day  service, 
passengers  always  had  to  spend  a  night  there.  Dur- 
ing the  latter  years  of  its  existence,  the  steamboat 
company  only  managed  to  struggle  on  by  the  help 
afforded  by  the  Great  Western  Railway,  and  matters 
were  hastened  to  a  conclusion  by  the  loss  of  the 
'  Brighton,'  which  struck  on  the  rocks  near  Guernsey 
in  the  uncertain  light  of  a  winter's  morning.  This 
accident  .reduced  the  fleet  to  two  ships,  and  for  the 
1887  summer  traffic  the  Great  Western  Railway  as- 
sisted with  a  third  boat,  the  '  Great  Western,'  one  of 
their  New  Milford  boats  engaged  in  the  Irish  service. 

We  visited  Jersey  that  year,  leaving  there  at  10 
A.M.  We  arrived  at  WTey mouth  about  9  P.M.,  and, 
of  course,  had  to  spend  the  night  there.  The  next 
day  at  Swindon  we  saw  a  fellow-passenger,  who  was 
travelling  third  class,  give  the  officials  at  that  junction 
a  lesson  as  to  the  rights  of  the  third-class  passengers. 
This  passenger  left  Weymouth  about  3.30  P.M., 
arrived  at  Swindon  about  6.15 — this  was  in  the  days 


266      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

before  third-class  passengers  were  conveyed  by  all 
trains  of  the  Great  Western — and  the  next  up  train 
from  Swindon  was  the  West  of  England  express  at 
6.42  P.M.,  due  at  Paddington  at  8.10.  By  the  Great 
Western  official  time-table,  third-class  passengers  from 
Weymouth  were  due  at  Paddington  at  9.40  P.M.,  while 
the  next  third-class  train  from  Swindon  left  at  8.20, 
and  arrived  in  London  at  10.20.  The  officials  told 
him  he  must  wait  for  this  train,  but  he  saw  a  third- 
class  coach  being  added  to  the  rear  of  the  express,  and 
he  took  his  seat  in  it.  The  ticket-collector  wanted 
him  to  come  out,  saying,  '  the  coach  was  slipped  at 
Didcot,  and  it  was  only  for  the  convenience  of  pas- 
sengers travelling  to  Birmingham  and  the  Midlands 
generally,'  but  the  gentleman  refused  to  leave,  and  the 
station-master  was  fetched.  This  official  fumed,  threat- 
ened, and  was  about  to  summon  help  to  carry  out  the 
ejectment,  when  the  knowing  traveller  produced  the 
Great  Western  Railway  official  time-book,  showing  he 
was  due  at  Paddington.  at  9.40.  This  took  the  station- 
master  by  surprise,  and  after  considering,  he  said,  '  All 
right;  change  from  this  slip  coach  at  Didcot,'  and  he 
gave  instructions  that  Weymouth  line  passengers  were 
in  future  to  be  allowed  to  travel  by  the  slip  to  Didcot, 
and  so  arrived  there  before  the  5.40  from  Swindon, 
which  used  to  shunt  on  the  way  to  allow  the  express 
to  pass.  So  the  knowing  passenger  triumphed,  and 
arrived  in  London  by  the  9.40  P.M. 

After  the  '  Brighton '  struck  on  the  rocks  off 
Guernsey  and  foundered,  the  '  Aquila  '  and  '  Cygnus,' 
the  two  boats  of  the  Weymouth  Company,  were  fitted 
with  gear  and  dials  indicating  the  number  of  revolu- 
tions performed  by  the  paddles,  so  that  the  officers 
might  know  something  of  the  ship's  position  when 
ordinary  observations  were  impossible,  and  so  prevent 
a  similar  mishap.  When  the  Great  Western  took 
over  the  steamers,  these  two  boats  were  sold,  and 
one  now  sails  between  Plymouth  and  the  Channel 
Islands,  while  the  other  is  used  for  pleasure  excursions 


The  Later  Development  of  the  Railway.         267 

at  Llandudno.  At  first  the  Great  Western  provided 
three  large  screw  steamers,  the  '  Gazelle,'  '  Lynx,'  and 
'  Antelope,'  built  a  passenger  station  on  the  landing- 
stage  at  Weymouth,  and  started  a  special  boat-express 
from  Paddington  at  9.15  P.M.,  running  direct  to  the 
steamer,  which  left  at  2.20  A.M.  The  sea  passage  was 
accelerated,  Guernsey  being  reached  in  about  5  hours, 
and  including  the  wait  to  unload  cargo  there.  Jersey 
in  about  7^  hours.  By  this  means  passengers  were 
landed  in  Jersey  in  about  12^  hours,  or  in  less  time 
than  by  the  London  and  South  Western  route.  But 
swifter  boats  were  again  provided  by  that  company, 
performing  the  sea  trip  to  Jersey  in  about  9^  hours,  or 
the  whole  journey  under  1 2  hours.  The  London  and 
South  Western  '  Lydia'  was,  in  1890,  the  fastest  ship 
in  existence.  Upon  trial  her  quickest  run  was  at  the 
rate  of  24^-  statute  miles  per  hour,  and  the  average  of 
four  trips  22^-  miles  an  hour.  But  the  Great  Western 
could  not  allow  of  being  second  in  the  race,  and  a  new 
twin-screw  ship,  the  '  Ibex,'  was  built,  which  has,  on 
several  occasions,  covered  the  82^-  miles  between 
Guernsey  and  Weymouth  in  3^  hours,  or  an  average 
speed  of  23^-  miles  an  hour  for  the  whole  voyage. 
By  this  accelerated  service  Guernsey  was  reached  in 
9j  hours,  and  Jersey  in  i  if  hours  from  London  by  the 
Great  Western  Railway.  • 

This  summer  (1894)  excursion  tickets  were  issued  by 
both  routes,  available  by  the  boat  trains  on  Saturday 
night,  to  return  in  8,  10,  15,  or  17  days,  at  a  return 
fare  of  245.  6d.,  third  class. 

With  regard  to  the  improvement  of  the  service, 
the  Great  Western  (which  made  the  first  move)  had 
the  better  arrangements — namely,  separate  steamers 
to  and  from  both  Guernsey  and  Jersey,  with  an  in- 
dependent vessel  for  the  local  traffic  between  the  two 
islands,  by  means  of  which  visitors  staying  at  Jersey 
can  make  a  trip  to  Guernsey  and  back  the  same  day, 
instead  of  having  to  spend  a  night  as  formerly.  But 
the  London  and  South  Western  work  their  improved 


268      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

service  more  economically,  by  having  the  same  pas- 
senger steamer  to  and  from  both  islands,  and  a  sepa- 
rate one  for  conveying  cargo.  It  was  the  time  taken 
en  route  at  Guernsey  in  loading  and  unloading  cargo 
that  formerly  made  the  voyage  to  Jersey  so  long. 
Thus  the  Great  Western  advertised  the  sea  passage  to 
Guernsey  as  4^  hours,  and  Guernsey  and  Jersey  ij- 
hours,  but  the  total  time  en  voyage — Weymouth  to 
Jersey — was  not  6  hours,  but,  including  the  detention 
at  Guernsey,  7  to  8  hours. 

The  Great  Western  has  also  given  its  Jersey 
passengers  another  concession.  At  low  water  the 
steamers  cannot  enter  the  harbour  at  St  Heliers,  and 
upon  such  occasions  passengers  both  embarking  and 
disembarking  were  put  to  the  expense  and  incon- 
venience of  engaging  a  row-boat  to  take  them  to  or 
from  the  steamers  ;  the  Great  Western  now  provides 
this  service  gratis. 

The  tables  below  show  the  improvements  in  the 

services  this  summer  : — 

1894. 

June.  Juty' 

9.15  P.M. 

2.O  A.M. 

2.IO  ,,       2.30  A.M. 

7-0      » 

8.0        „ 

9.30  A.M. 

10.45     » 
3.30  3.15   P.M. 

745  P.M. 

The  up  passengers  were  conveyed  from  Weymouth 
Landing  Stage  to  Swindon  by  a  special  train  running 
as  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  steamers  as  possible, 
from  Swindon  they  travelled  to  London  by  the  express 
due  at  Paddington  at  7.45  P.M. 

During  the  winter  months  the  service,  as  shown 
above  for  June,  has  been  reverted  to. 


Paddington, 

depart, 

9.15   P.M. 

Weymouth, 

arrive, 

2.IO  A.M. 

Weymouth, 

depart, 

2.20      ,, 

Guernsey,  . 

arrive, 

6-45      u 

Jersey, 

5  J 

9-o      » 

Jersey, 

depart, 

8.30  A.M. 

Guernsey,  . 

?» 

10.30      „ 

Weymouth, 

arrive, 

3.O      P.M. 

Paddington, 

V 

7-45     » 

K  — • 
W  — 
H  2 


c 

fc 

o 
p 
* 
p 

o 

pq 

w 

ffi 


The  Later  Development  of  the  Raihvay.        271 

While  mentioning  excursion  facilities,  it  will  not  be 
out  of  place  to  notice  the  arrangements  made  in  the 
summer  of  1894,  whereby  passengers  could  travel  every 
Saturday  to  North  Wales  and  spend  a  week  or  fort- 
night there  at  very  cheap  fares.  These  excursions 
are  on  the  same  plan  as  those  to  the  West  of  England, 
which  have  been  popular  for  so  many  years. 

In  February  1874  a  most  serious  collision  occurred 
in  the  fog  at  West  Drayton,  between  the  up  '  Flying 
Dutchman  '  (drawn  by  '  Prometheus  ')  and  a  goods  train 
which  was  stationary.  Had  it  happened  on  the 
Standard  Gauge,  the  results  would  have  been  most 
appalling,  but  thanks  to  the  wide  base  of  the  vehicles, 
the  express  never  left  the  line,  and  only  the  guard  lost 
his  life  in  consequence  of  the  tender  of  his  train  being 
hurled  on  to  the  '  cab '  of  its  locomotive  and  being 
caught  by  a  passing  engine  and  thrown  back  on  a 
contingent  van. 

Our  personal  reminiscence  of  this  disastrous  col- 
lision was,  at  the  time,  not  of  a  pleasant  nature.  In 
those  days  the  useful  postal  order  had  not  been  in- 
vented, and  small  remittances  sent  by  post  were 
usually  made  by  means  of  postage  stamps.  We  had 
an  uncle  who  used  to  keep  the  feast  of  St  Valentine  in 
a  very  practical  way,  by  remitting  his  nephews  at 
school,  postage  stamps  on  the  anniversary  of  that 
saint's  day.  Our  school  was  situated  a  few  miles  from 
West  Drayton,  and  instead  of  the  mail  bag  containing 
our  letter  being  safely  deposited  in  the  apparatus  near 
the  station,  it  was  shot  into  the  canal,  so  that  when  we 
received  the  letter,  the  stamps  were  all  stuck  together, 
and  it  was  a  matter  of  some  difficulty  negotiating  to 
obtain  in  exchange  for  them  a  sum  anywhere  near 
their  full  value. 

While  we  are  on  the  subject  of  collisions  on  the 
Broad  Gauge,  we  take  the  opportunity  of  remarking, 
upon  the  well-established  fact,  that  although  the  trains 
were  heavier  and  travelling  at  much  higher  speeds 
than  Narrow  Gauge  trains  under  similar  circumstances, 


272      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

yet  the  consequences  on  the  Broad  Gauge  were  always 
much  less  disastrous  in  consequence  of  the  wider  gauge 
giving  greater  stability  to  the  trains,  which  generally 
did  not  even  leave  the  metals,  as  instance  the  accident 
near  Langley  in  1845,  referred  to  in  a  previous  chapter, 
that  at  Bullo  in  1868,  and  Bourton  in  1876,  where  only 
the  driver  and  fireman  were  killed.  On  26th  Novem- 
ber 1852,  a  down  express,  drawn  by  the  '  Lord  of  the 
Isles,'  ran  at  full  speed  into  a  train  shunting  across  its 
path  at  Heyford.  Again  only  the  driver  was  killed, 
and  the  engine  did  not  leave  the  metals.  Yet  again 
in  November  1890,  a  special  passenger  train,  convey- 
ing the  Cape  mail  from  Plymouth  to  London,  worked 
by  a  Bristol  and  Exeter  tank  engine,  No.  2051,  but 
which  had  been  rebuilt  and  a  tender  added,  collided 
with  the  engine  of  a  Narrow  Gauge  goods  train  at 
Norton  Fitzwarren,  near  Taunton.  The  goods  train 
was  stationary,  while  the  express  was  travelling  at 
60  miles  an  hour,  yet  neither  the  engine  nor  any  of 
the  coaches  left  the  rails.  Through  the  unfortunate 
forgetfulness  of  the  signalman,  ten  passengers  lost 
their  lives  on  this  occasion,  but  had  a  van  been  next 
the  engine,  as  should  have  been  the  case,  no  loss  of 
life  would  probably  have  resulted. 

Many  years  ago,  a  van  at  the  tail  of  a  goods  train 
got  off  the  metals  near  Reading,  ran  along  the  longi- 
tudinal sleepers  for  5  miles,  and  then  righted  itself  at 
a  level  crossing.  The  engine  driver  was  unaware  of 
the  mishap,  until,  in  consequence  of  the  report  of  some 
platelayers  who  saw  the  occurrence,  the  line  was 
examined  and  the  indentations  on  the  timber  caused 
by  the  wheels  were  observed. 

In  1847  an  extraordinary  accident  happened  to  the 
Exeter  express — the  '  crack '  train  of  those  days — when 
passing  Southall,  one  of  the  driving  wheel  tyres  of  the 
'  Queen '  engine  broke.  A  piece  flew  in  the  air  and  de- 
scended upon  a  down  train,  killing  two  cattle  drovers 
in  it,  whilst  another  piece  threw  the  down  train  off 
the  rails.  Although  he  had  to  cross  a  high  embank- 


fc    i 

2    o 


o 
U 


8    I 


33 
H 


The  Later  Development  of  the  Railway.         275 

ment  and  the  Brent  Viaduct,  the  driver  of  the  '  Queen ' 
went  on  to  the  next  station  (Hanwell),  where  he  ex- 
amined his  engine,  and  proceeded  to  Paddington  minus 
the  tyre.  The  last  accident  to  a  Broad  Gauge  train 
happened  to  the  2.15  up  express  on  I4th  May  1892. 
As  the  train  was  passing  over  the  points  of  Lipson 
Junction,  near  Plymouth,  the  axle  of  the  engine  broke, 
and  although  the  train  was  travelling  down  an  incline 
at  high  speed,  fortunately  none  of  the  carriages  were 
derailed,  although,  of  course,  the  engine  left  the  line. 

While  any  old  Broad  Gauge  driver  was  always 
able  to  give  his  own  experience  of  accidents  that 
happened  to  himself,  which  were  far  more  miracul- 
ous than  the  cases  previously  narrated  by  his  con- 
freres, but  as  most  of  these  accidents  never  obtained 
official  publicity,  we  only  accept  them  cum  grano  salts. 
Most  travellers  can  give  an  account  of  some  one 
or  another  remarkable  journey  they  have  performed, 
but  few,  we  think,  can  equal  the  experience  of  a  poor 
man  who  arrived  in  a  most  exhausted  and  dirty  con- 
dition at  Swindon,  having  ridden  from  Paddington 
underneath  one  of  the  coaches  of  a  fast  train 
bound  for  the  West  of  England.  He  was  dis- 
covered at  Swindon  lying  across  the  brake  rods,  on 
which  he  hoped  to  have  made  his  journey  home  as 
far  as  Bristol.  Being  out  of  work  and  penniless,  his 
appearance  caused  great  excitement  and  pity  amongst 
the  passengers,  who  made  a  collection  for  the  un- 
fortunate man  to  enable  him  to  complete  his  journey 
in  a  more  comfortable  way. 

Another  remarkable  case  of  railway  travelling  on 
the  Great  Western  Railway  was  the  involuntary 
journey,  or  rather  series  of  journeys,  performed  in 
January  1877,  half  a  dozen  children,  each  about  ten 
years  of  age,  were  charged  before  the  Bristol  magis- 
trates with  having  travelled  without  taking  their  tickets 
or  paying  their  fares  on  the  Great  Western  Railway 
in  the  truck  of  a  goods  train  for  three  days  and  three 
nights.  It  was  found  that  they  had  been  playing  in 


276      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

the  goods  station  yard  at  Plymouth  when  a  guard 
shouted  to  them,  and  they  became  so  frightened  that 
they  hid  themselves  in  one  of  the  trucks.  Keeping 
very  quiet,  so  as  not  to  be  detected,  they  fell  asleep. 
During  the  night  the  truck  was  attached  to  a  goods 
train  which  was  being  formed  for  Penzance.  The 
train  then  started  without  anyone  knowing  that  the 
stowaways  were  there.  The  truck  was  shunted  when 
the  train  reached  Truro  in  the  night,  and  there  the 
urchins  woke  up,  and  being  much  frightened,  they  stole 
out  of  the  station  and  tried  to  walk  back  towards  Ply- 
mouth. They  had  only  gone  a  short  way  when  the 
rain  came  down  in  torrents,  and  so  drenched  them 
that  they  determined  to  go  back  to  the  railway  station, 
where,  unobserved,  they  got  into  another  covered 
truck  which  they  thought  would  take  them  back  to 
Plymouth.  This  truck  was  booked  through  to  Bristol 
with  a  load  of  general  goods  ;  it  was  consequently  not 
shunted  at  Plymouth,  but  with  numerous  delays  and 
shuntings  in  the  course  of  the  goods  traffic  en  route  it 
arrived  at  Bristol.  The  urchins  slept  a  good  deal  of 
the  time,  but  were  so  exhausted  when  discovered  that 
three  or  four  of  them  could  not  stand.  They  soon 
recovered  under  the  attention  they  received,  but 
appeared  in  the  most  bewildered  state  of  mind.  They 
were  taken  to  the  police  station  and  cared  for  during 
the  night.  Their  names  and  addresses  were  tele- 
graphed to  Plymouth,  and  the  Plymouth  police 
discovered  that  inquiries  had  been  made  at  the  police 
station  for  two  or  three  of  the  little  travellers,  and 
their  parents  were  in  great  distress  at  their  loss.  The 
magistrates  expressed  their  astonishment  that  the 
boys'  hunger  had  not  caused  them  to  declare  them- 
selves. They  were  eventually  dismissed,  the  bench  ex- 
pressing the  opinion  that  it  was  hardly  a  case  of  fraud. 
At  Christmas  1880,  the  Paddington  Station  was 
lighted  by  the  electric  light  on  the  Brush  system, 
this  was  a  forward  step  indeed,  seeing  how  little  this 
method  of  illumination  was  then  in  vogue. 


Tke  Later  Development  of  the  Railway.         277 

Most  of  us  have  personal  experiences  of  a  very  un- 
pleasant kind  in  connection  with  the  tremendous  snow 
storms  of  January  1881,  but  although  all  the  railways 
suffered  severely,  the  Great  Western  far  the  worst. 
At  the  meeting  of  shareholders  in  February,  Mr  Gooch 
gave  them  the  following  account  of  the  difficulties 
experienced  on  the  line  : — '  We  had  every  reason  up 
to  the  middle  of  January  to  anticipate  that  we  might 
have  been  able  to  offer  the  shareholders  a  dividend  in 
excess  of  what  they  had -previously  received,  but  you 
all  know  in  the  middle  of  January  a  snowstorm 
occurred,  the  first  we  have  had  in  the  history  of  this 
railway  to  interfere  with  our  traffic,  and  wiped  off 
something  like  ^56,000  of  the  amount  available 
for  dividend.  Had  we  had  that  ,£56,000  in  our 
pockets,  we  should  have  been  able  to  give  you  from 
a  half  to  three-quarters  per  cent,  more  dividend  than  we 
are  now  doing.  We  did  not  make  the  storm,  we  did  our 
best  under  the  circumstances,  so  I  hope  you  will  all  be 
satisfied  that  the  5  per  cent,  we  now  offer  you  is  as 
much  as  we  could  reasonably  be  expected  to  give. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  storm  was  much  more 
severe  on  our  line  than  on  any  other.  Its  great 
weight  fell  in  the  counties  of  Berks,  Wilts,  and  down 
towards  Weymouth  and  that  district.  We  had  to 
excavate  1 1 1  miles  of  snow,  varying  according  to  the 
drift  from  3  feet  down  to  10  feet  in  depth.  We  had, 
unfortunately,  fifty-one  passenger  trains  and  thirteen 
goods  trains  buried  in  the  snow,  making  a  total  of 
sixty-four,  and  we  had  blocks  on  one  hundred  and 
forty-one  different  parts  of  the  system.  Great  credit 
is  due  to  the  skill  and  zeal  of  our  officers,  and  not 
only  to  the  officers  but  to  every  man  engaged  in  the 
service  for  accomplishing  what  they  did.  They  had 
a  very  difficult  service  to  perform,  and  we  had  no 
accident  to  any  person  during  the  whole  period.' 

In  October  1882  the  Teign  Valley  Railway,  a  Narrow 
Gauge  line,  was  opened  ;  it  was  the  first  Narrow  Gauge 
branch  on  the  South  Devon  Railway,  and  was  a  shadow 


278      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

of  the  complete  narrow  gauging  of  the  Great  Western 
which  took  place  nearly  ten  years  later. 

In  1886  the  superintendent  of  the  line  (Mr  Tyrrell) 
retired  ;  he  had  been  with  the  Great  Western  for  forty- 
six  years,  and  it  is  really  remarkable  how  long-lived 
the  old  Great  Western  officials  were,  and  how  in- 
tensely they  believed  in  the  undoubted  advantage 
of  the  Broad  Gauge.  Mr  Higgins,  the  secretary, 
died  just  before  the  final  conversion,  and  Mr  Mills, 
the  present  secretary,  was  appointed  i6th  May  1892, 
so  that  he  may  claim  the  proud  honour  of  being 
the  last  of  the  Broad  Gauge  officials,  for  had  the 
appointment  taken  place  a  few  days  later,  the  Great 
Western  Railway  would  have  then  been  an  ordinary 
Narrow  Gauge  line.  In  1894,  Mr  Burlinson,  the 
then  superintendent  of  the  line,  retired  after  fifty 
years'  service. 

On  ist  October  1890,  the  Great  Western  fell 
into  line  with  the  other  great  railways,  and  com- 
menced to  carry  third-class  passengers  by  all  trains, 
although  it  was  not  until  ist  July  1894  that 
third  class,  as  distinguished  from  Parliamentary  fares, 
were  abolished  on  the  system,  and  third-class  pas- 
sengers were  carried  by  all  trains  at  id.  per  mile. 
In  the  early  days  of  railways,  besides  the  opposi- 
tion of  landowners  and  the  general  public,  these 
companies  had  also  to  fight  against  two  other 
opponents,  and  these  were  the  most  determined  and 
aggressive  of  all  those  who  battled  against  the  in- 
troduction and  extension  of  railways  ;  the  resistance 
of  these  two  was  the  more  bitter  and  relentless, 
since  it  was  patent  that  if  the  railways  were  success- 
ful, then  the  utility  of  the  stage  coach  and  canal 
would  be  most  materially  decreased.  The  stage 
coaches  more  easily  succumbed  to  the  railway  attack, 
since,  in  most  cases,  they  were  but  single  proprietors 
fighting  against  a  powerful  combination  of  capital, 
and  the  travelling  public  soon  perceived  the  great 
superiority  of  railway  travelling  as  compared  with 


The  Later  Development  of  the  Railway.        279 

the  stage  coach.  But  with  regard  to  the  canal 
companies,  the  case  was  different ;  these  were  them- 
selves huge  and  wealthy  corporations  in  possession 
of  immense  capital  and  enjoying  a  valuable  and 
lucrative  monopoly,  which  was  guarded  by  a  number 
of  Parliamentary  protections  which  almost  freed  them 
from  competition  in  the  carrying  of  merchandise, 
while  the  income  derived  from  the  various  canals 
wasHso  large  that  no  railway  ever  has,  nor  ever  can 
hope,  to  pay  a  rate  of  interest  at  all  commensurate 
with  those  paid  by  canal  companies  before  the  in- 
troduction of  railways.  The  magnitude  of  these 
annual  dividends  can,  in  a  measure  be  gauged  when 
we  mention  that,  in  1846,  and  in  the  face  of  railway 
competition,  the  dividends  paid  by  the  following 
canals  were : — Duke  of  Bridgewater,  30  per  cent. ; 
Trent  and  Mersey,  30  per  cent. ;  Oxford,  26  per 
cent.  ;  Coventry,  25  per  cent.  ;  and  Old  Birmingham, 
1 6  per  cent.  ;  while  the  average  railway  dividend  for 
the  same  year,  1846,  was  only  ^13,  125.  4^d.,  per 
cent.  Therefore  it  is  not  at  all  surprising  to  find 
that  the  fights  between  the  old  water  carriers  and 
the  new  steam  ones  were  of  so  severe  and  un- 
yielding a  nature,  since  the  former  had  everything 
to  lose  and  the  latter  all  to  gain,  if  only  the  railways 
were  allowed  to  be  constructed.  The  railway  com- 
panies were,  however,  no  match  for  the  already 
established  canal  proprietors,  so  that  they  were 
compelled  to  enter  into  some  kind  of  arrangements 
with  the  companies  owning  the  canals,  and  these 
latter  were  shrewd  enough  to  foresee  that  the  de- 
feat of  the  railway  schemes  was  but  of  a  temporary 
nature,  and  that  in  a  few  years  at  most,  railways 
would  be  constructed  over  the  country  in  all  direc- 
tions ;  therefore  they  took  advantage  of  the  railway 
companies'  desire  to  commence  construction  without 
delay  by  arranging  with  them  to  purchase  the  canals, 
and  in  this  way  they  were  enabled  to  sell  their 
concerns  at  a  good  price,  and  secure  themselves, 


280      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

knowing  that  if  they  did  not  do  so,  when  the  rail- 
ways were  willing  to  buy  off  their  opposition,  in 
a  few  years  the  railways  would  refuse  to  purchase 
their  undertakings,  and  possibly  they  would  be  left 
with  costly  works  to  maintain  which  would  pro- 
duce but  a  small  income.  By  this  means  the  Great 
Western  Railway  Company  became  possessed  of  a 
considerable  canal  mileage  to  the  evident  satisfac- 
tion of  the  original  canal  proprietors,  while,  dpubt- 
less,  our  legislators  considered  that  they  had  well 
guarded  against  a  monopoly  in  the  carriage  of  goods 
by  requiring  the  railway  companies  to  maintain  these 
canals  in  a  suitable  condition  for  the  conveyance  of 
traffic  at  the  scheduled  charges.  So  far  from  this 
arrangement  being  of  any  utility,  it  has  become  a 
source  of  great  loss  to  the  railway  and  of  not  the 
slightest  advantage  to  the  public ;  therefore,  as  soon 
as  such  an  anomalous  system  is  put  an  end  to  so 
much  the  better  will  it  be  for  all  concerned. 

The  Great  Western  Railway  Company  is  owner 
of  the  following  canals : — Bridgewater  and  Taunton, 
Great  Western,  Kennett  and  Avon,  Monmouthshire, 
Stourbridge  Extension,  Stratford  -  on  -  Avon,  and 
Swansea.  The  b£te  noir  of  the  Great  Western 
Railway  Company's  canals  is  the  Kennett  and  Avon, 
along  the  side  of  which  the  Berks  and  Hants  line 
is  constructed.  This  canal  was  authorised  by  Acts 
34,  36,  38,  41,  and  45  of  George  III.,  and  its  general 
direction  is  from  west  to  east  for  a  distance  of 
55|  miles  in  Somerset,  Wilts,  and  Berkshire.  When 
the  Great  Western  Railway  was  opened  to  Bath  and 
Bristol,  this  canal  was  a  competitive  route  for  goods 
traffic  between  those  places  and  London,  so  that  the 
purchase  of  it  was  considered  to  be  advantageous 
to  the  interests  of  the  Great  Western  Railway.  We 
are  not  aware  of  the  indirect  benefits  derived  by  the 
railway  shareholders  by  the  acquisition  of  this  canal, 
but  the  direct  loss  they  incur  yearly  in  the  working 
of  the  undertaking  is  very  considerable. 


The  Later  Development  of  the  Railway.         281 

The  deserted  appearance  of  this  canal  is  notorious  ; 
in  fact,  the  sight  of  a  barge  upon  its  waters  is  an 
almost  rare  event.  To  make  matters  still  worse, 
the  Great  Western  Railway  Company  not  only  main- 
tain the  canal,  but  also  a  railway — the  Berks  and 
Hants  line — which,  as  we  have  already  stated,  for  a 
considerable  distance  runs  side  by  side  with  the  canal. 
The  railway  itself  can  scarcely  be  a  prosperous  one, 
as,  although  some  60  miles  in  length,  it  has  but  four 
down  and  five  up  through  trains  daily,  besides  four  local 
ones  each  way,  none  of  the  towns  on  it  being  of  much 
importance.  The  company,  however,  hope,  when  the 
new  lines  from  Wood  borough  to  Westbury,  and  from 
Castle  Cary  to  Athelney  are  completed,  to  make  use 
of  the  Berks  and  Hants  line  for  the  express  traffic  to 
the  West  of  England,  as  this  route  will  then  be  19  miles 
shorter  than  the  present  way  via  Swindon  and  Bristol  ; 
while  the  distance  between  London  and  Westbury, 
Frome,  and  the  other  stations  on  the  Weymouth 
branch,  will  be  lessened  to  the  same  extent,  so  that 
the  competition  with  the  London  and  South  Western 
Railway  will  be  very  considerably  increased.  The 
single  portions  of  the  line  will,  however,  require 
doubling  before  any  practical  use  can  be  made  of 
the  route  for  through  express  traffic.  Yet  what  a 
great  saving  of  capital  would  have  resulted  had  the 
Berks  and  Hants  line  been  constructed  along  the 
course  of  the  useless  Kennett  and  Avon  Canal, 
instead  of  as  an  independent  adjacent  route.  There 
is  the  faint  hope  that  in  the  far  future,  when  the 
traffic  on  this  section  of  the  Great  Western  system 
has  increased  so  much  that  the  present  line  is  in- 
capable of  carrying  it  all,  that  the  canal  will  then 
be  utilised,  like  so  many  others  have  been,  by 
being  converted  into  a  railway.  We  fear,  however, 
this  is  looking  very  far  ahead. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

THE      FINAL      CONVERSION. 

'  TO-DAY'S  ARRANGEMENTS. — The  Great  Western  Railway  substitute  the  Narrow 
for  the  Broad  Gauge.' — (Daily  Telegraph,  2\st  May  1892.) 

THE  partisans  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  always  professed 
that  sooner  or  later  the  Broad  Gauge  must  give  way 
to  the  Narrow  Gauge ;  but,  somehow,  although  they 
always  expected  this  event  to  happen  in  the  near 
future,  it  was  a  very  long  time  before  their  opinions 
were  verified.  After  the  battle  of  1845-46  they  ex- 
pected an  immediate  conversion  ;  but,  not  only  was 
the  Narrow  Gauge  party  signally  disappointed,  but 
year  by  year  the  Broad  Gauge  lines  increased  in 
mileage  and  also  in  power  until,  in  1867,  the  Broad 
Gauge  lines  had  reached  the  important  total  of  1456 
miles,  with  no  less  than  700  locomotives  of  the  7  feet 
gauge.  In  London,  with  Paddington  as  headquarters, 
the  Broad  Gauge  trains  were  found  at  Kensington, 
Moorgate,  and  even  Victoria  (one  half  of  which 
station  is  jointly  leased  by  the  London,  Chatham  and 
Dover  and  Great  Western  Railways) ;  but  years  ago 
the  Broad  Gauge  rail  had  been  removed  from  the 
Metropolitan  Railway,  the  West  London  line,  and  the 
Great  Western  route  to  Victoria  via  Clapham  and 
the  London  and  South  Western.  But  at  this  time, 
when  at  its  zenith,  and  with  the  voices  of  the  Narrow 
Gauge  adherents  almost  silenced  from  hope  de- 
ferred, as  narrated  in  a  previous  chapter,  the  change 
commenced,  and  no  doubt  the  Great  Western  Rail- 
way shareholders  were  ready  to  change  any  and 

everything  in  the  hope  of  improving  their  dividend, 

282 


The  Final  Conversion.  283 

well-knowing  that,  come  what  might,  they  could  not  be 
worse  off,  and  by  the  change  their  position  might 
be  improved ;  for  while  the  Great  Western  Railway 
was  paying  a  dividend  of  but  if  per  cent.,  its  neigh- 
bours, the  London  and  South  Western  on  one  side, 
the  London  and  North  Western  on  the  other,  were 
returning  their  shareholders  4!  per  cent,  and  6  per 
cent,  respectively.  So  the  various  changes,  as  already 
chronicled,  were  duly  carried  out ;  and  when  almost 
everybody  had  nearly  forgotten  the  probability  of  the 
Great  Western  Railway  ever  changing  the  gauge  of 
its  main  line,  early  in  1891  it  began  to  be  whis- 
pered round  the  railway  world  that  the  Directors  of  the 
'  Sleepy  Giant '  were  seriously  considering  the  advisa- 
bility of  a  complete  withdrawal  of  the  Broad  Gauge. 
From  being  whispered  in  railway  'circles  it  soon  be- 
came a  matter  of  public  speculation.  The  then 
recent  death  of  Sir  Daniel  Gooch,  the  last  of  the 
Broad  Gauge  pioneers,  gave  a  raison  d'etre  for  the 
change,  for  while  he  was  the  nominal  head  of  the 
Great  Western  system,  it  was  not  likely  that  the 
complete  rejection  of  the  Broad  Gauge  would  be 
seriously  entertained  at  all.  But,  in  the  spring  of 
1891,  it  was  officially  announced  that  this  great 
engineering  feat  would  be  accomplished  on  2ist 
and  22d  May  1892,  and  for  a  year  the  railway  and 
engineering  papers  were  constantly  giving  particulars, 
more  or  less  correct,  of  how  the  conversion  was  to  be 
carried  out.  At  the  half-yearly  meeting  of  the  Great 
Western  shareholders,  held  on  nth  February  1892, 
Mr  F.  G.  Saunders,  the  Chairman,  preached  the 
funeral  sermon,  as  he  called  it,  of  the  Broad  Gauge. 
We  extract  the  following  from  this  '  sermon  ' : — '  With 
regard  to  the  gauge  he  need  not  tell  them  a  long 
story.  It  was  unfortunately  left  to  the  Board  of  1892 
to  carry  out  the  abolition  of  the  Broad  Gauge  on 
their  system.  It  was  a  matter  of  regret  that  the 
time  had  nearly  arrived  when  that  should  be  done ; 
but  they  had  for  many  years  past  made  preparations 


284      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

for  that  which  they  knew  was  imminent.  The  altera- 
tion at  Exeter  from  the  Broad  to  the  Narrow  Gauge 

o 

was  a  very  large  and  serious  operation,  and  involved  a 
great  deal  of  preparation.  .  .  .  More  than  three-fourths 
of  their  passenger  stock  was  already  constructed  so 
as  to  be  ready  to  be  convertible  from  the  Broad  to 
the  Narrow  Gauge.  He  was  of  opinion  that  the 
Broad  Gauge  would  have  been  more  suited  to  the 
comfort  of  the  travelling  public,  who  now  required 
dining  and  sleeping  saloons  and  other  luxuries  such  as 
could  be  obtained  at  West  End  Clubs.' 

The  following  is  the  opening  stanza  of  a  poetical 
history  of  the  Broad  Gauge  written  by  one  of  the 
numerous  Broad  Gauge  enthusiasts  :— 

'  The  fiat's  gone  forth  that  the  giants  of  yore, 
The  sires  that  gave  breath  to  the  Dutchman's  loud  roar, 
Shall  be  buried  in  life,  and  they've  tolled  the  death  knell 
Of  the  noble  creations  of  Gooch  and  Brunei. 
We  mourn  for  thy  death,  dear  old  Broad  Gauge  and  sigh 
For  the  exquisite  forms  which  were  balm  to  the  eye; 
Creations  superb  of  a  far-seeing  brain, 
No  more  shall  we  look  on  your  equals  again.' 

That  the  inhabitants  of  the  Broad  Gauge  districts 
firmly  believed  in  the  undoubted  superiority  of  the 
7  feet  gauge  is  unquestionable,  and  the  public  opinion 
of  the  locality  is  well  expressed  in  a  series  of  articles 
which  appeared  in  the  leading  West  of  England  paper 
at  the  time  of  the  final  conversion.  We  extract  the 
following  from  these  interesting  articles  :— 

'  Sentiment  is  often  more  potent  than  argument, 
and  it  is  not  without  some  pangs  of  regret  that  Devon 
and  Cornwall  have  bid  adieu  to  their  old  friend  and 
ally  the  Broad  Gauge.  By  the  hour  when  these  lines 
meet  the  eyes  of  our  readers  every  Broad  Gauge 
engine,  carriage  and  truck  will  have  been  removed 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  western  counties,  most  of 
them  being  destined  for  Swindon,  either  to  be  there 
converted  into  Narrow  Gauge  vehicles  or  to  be  broken 
up.  So  much  of  comfort  and  celerity  has  for  many 


The  Final  Conversion.  285 

years  been  associated  in  the  minds  of  travellers  with 
these  ponderous  and  substantial  carriages  that  it  will 
be  long  before  the  older  portion  of  the  travelling 
public  will  fully  reconcile  themselves  to  the  Narrow 
Gauge.  The  Broad  Gauge  was  doomed,  not  through 
any  deficiency,  but  rather  in  spite  of  its  superiority,  and 
in  order  to  facilitate  the  transit  of  commercial  produce 
by  a  uniformity  of  gauge.  There  being  a  greater 
mileage  of  Narrow  than  Broad  Gauge  the  latter  was 
necessarily  the  one  to  give  way,  though  even  in  the 
present  day  Brunei's  contention  would  be  widely 
echoed  : — "  I  believe  we  travel  much  quicker  at  the 
same  cost  and  with  more  ease,  and  certainly  the  wear 
and  tear  of  the  carriages  is  very  much  less  with  us 
than  with  the  other  lines." 

'  Although  engineering  talent  has-been  concentrated 
on  improving  Narrow  Gauge  engines,  and  the  Broad 
Gauge  locomotives  have  been  allowed  to  rest  on  their 
laurels  of  past  days,  the  average  speeds  per  hour  for 
various  Narrow  Gauge  engines  on  the  great  lines 
between  London  and  their  first  stopping  places  are 
respectively  : — Great  Northern,  51.88  miles  ;  Midland, 
51.78  ;  and  the  London  and  North- Western,  49.15. 
Compare  these  speeds  with  that  of  the  Great  Western 
Railway.  The  Broad  Gauge  express  (on  the  improve- 
ment of  which  the  engineer  has  lavished  no  pains  in 
recent  years),  which  leaves  Paddington  for  Penzance 
at  10.15  A.M.,  maintains  an  average  speed  of  53.28 
miles  as  far  as  Swindon.  This  will  bear  comparison 
even  with  the  54.  i  miles  per  hour  of  the  Great 
Northern,  Manchester  and  Sheffield  express.  In  face 
of  such  facts  it  were  foolish  to  argue  that  the  '  Battle 
of  the  Gauges '  has  been  decided  on  merit  :— 

'It  is  a  curious  fact  that  there  is  no  scientific 
theory  to  support  the  adoption  of  the  4  feet  8^  inches, 
or  Narrow  Gauge,  in  preference  to  any  other  measure- 
ment. On  the  other  hand,  much  has  been,  and  can 
still  be,  said  in  favour  of  the  Broad  Gauge  of  Isambard 
Brunei,  since  the  gauge  determines  the  width  across 


286      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

each  pair  of  wheels  of  the  engines  and  carriages,  and, 
to  a  certain  extent,  the  width  of  the  engines  and 
carriages  themselves.  It  is  patent  that  increased 
width  of  gauge  must  give  more  room  for  the  play  of 
the  machinery  of  the  engine,  and  for  the  comfortable 
accommodation  of  the  passengers.  Upon  a  Broad 
Gauge  line — 7  feet — carriages  measuring  10  feet  6 
inches  across  are  run,  whilst  Narrow  Gauge  carriages 
are  but  8  feet  6  inches.  West  Country  people  have 
found  the  Broad  Gauge  exceedingly  comfortable,  and 
they  naturally  regret  its  extinction.  Travelling  was 
done  with  smoothness  and  speed.  The  speed  was  in 
advance  of  other  lines  for  years ;  but  since  the  Broad 
Gauge  was  doomed,  the  development  of  engines  of 
this  class  has  not  been  continued,  else  we  should  ere 
this  be  travelling  80  miles  per  hour  instead  of  60 
miles,  so  engineers  tell  us.  It  is  also  worth  noting 
that  Brunei's  rails,  bolted  down  to  wood,  running 
longitudinally,  has  proved  the  safest  road,  perhaps,  all 
the  world  over.  The  West  of  England  has  conse- 
quently gained  no  notoriety  by  reason  of  frequent 
accidents  :  especially  is  this  the  case  with  reference  to 
express  trains.  No  accidents  with  grave  fatal  results 
have  ever  happened  to  the  "  Flying  Dutchman,"  the 
"  Cornishman,"  or  "  Zulu  " 

We  purpose  to  sub-divide  this  chapter  under  four 
heads — (a)  The  traffic  arrangements  ;  (b)  The  conver- 
sion of  the  line  ;  (c)  The  conversion  of  the  rolling 
stock  ;  (d)  The  result  of  the  conversion. 

(a]  THE  TRAFFIC  ARRANGEMENTS.  , 

These  were  of  a  most  extensive  character,  a  special 
pamphlet  clearly  defining  the  running  of  the  trains  west 
of  Exeter  before,  during,  and  immediately  after  the 
conversion  was  issued  for  the  use  of  the  public, 
while,  for  the  guidance  of  the  staff,  a  handbook  of 
fifty-five  8vo  pages  was  issued  on  3Oth  April  1892 
containing 


The  Final  Conversion.  287 

'GENERAL  INSTRUCTIONS 

FOR   THE   USE   OF   THE   COMPANY'S     SERVANTS 
IN   CONNECTION    WITH    THE 

CONVERSION  OF  THE  MAIN  LINE 

FROM 

BROAD  TO  NARROW  GAUGE 

BETWEEN 

EXETER  AND  TRURO, 

AND    OF 

THE  FOLLOWING  BRANCHES — 

Newton  Abbot  to  Moretonhampstead. 

Newton  Abbot  to  Kingswear. 

Churston  to  Brixham. 

Totnes  and  Totnes  Quay  to  Ashburton. 
Laira  Junction  to  Sutton  Harbour. 

Lidford  to  Launceston. 

Burngallow  to  Drinnicls.  Mill. 

Truro  to  Falmouth. 

St  Erth  to  St  Ives. 

The  Conversion  will  take  place  on 

SATURDAY  AND  SUNDAY,  2ist  and  22d  MAY  1892. 
During   which    days   these   lines  will  be  entirely  closed  for  traffic 
purposes.' 

The  goods  traffic  for  stations  west  of  Exeter  began 
to  be  refused  as  early  as  7th  May,  and  continued  to  be 
so  until  the  25th,  but  goods  traffic  from  Broad  Gauge 
Stations  was  received  up  to  i7th.  The  London  and 
South  Western  Railway  took  compassion  on  its  life- 
long rival  during  the  conversion,  and  arranged  to 
convey  Great  Western  traffic  to  and  from  Plymouth 
over  its  system  between  that  place  and  Exeter,  where 
it  was  transferred  to  the  Great  Western  Narrow 
Gauge  line.  Although  no  down  Broad  Gauge  goods 
trains  were  run  west  of  Exeter  after  the  departure 
of  the  7.30  A.M.  on  i8th  May,  the  Broad  Gauge 
engines  and  brakes  were  worked  down  according  to 
time  table  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  back  the 
enormous  amount  of  Broad  Gauge  vehicles  to  be 
brought  off  the  lines  about  to  be  converted.  Some 
of  the  fish  merchants  at  Penzance  nearly  lost  their 


288      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

market  on  the  Friday,  the  catch  had  been  excep- 
tionally heavy,  and  as  the  merchants  knew  the 
supply  of  fish  trucks  was  very  low  (only  sufficient 
having  been  kept  back  to  form  the  ordinary  12.35 
P.M.  up  fish),  there  was  a  general  rush  and  hurry 
to  the  station  to  secure  accommodation,  '  first  come, 
first  served,'  being  the  order.  After  a  deal  of  diffi- 
culty the  whole  consignment  was  duly  loaded,  but 
not  a  single  Broad  Gauge  vehicle  remained  over. 
About  2000  empty  Broad  Gauge  trucks  were  worked 
from  off  the  West  Cornwall  line  during  the  first 
half  of  the  conversion  week,  and  as  not  more  than 
1 6  trucks  are  allowed  for  any  one  train  over  one 
portion,  the  traffic  over  the  Cornwall  and  South 
Devon  lines  was  pretty  brisk.  While  the  west 
county  lines  were  thus  engaged  in  sending  out  its 
Broad  Gauge  stock,  London  was  not  behindhand,  for, 
on  Thursday  night,  igth  May,  the  sidings  at  S win- 
don  must  have  been  pretty  full,  as  a  special  of  twenty- 
eight  trucks  (Broad  Gauge),  and  two  engines,  which 
left  London  at  9.20,  were  sent  to  Didcot  instead  of 
Swindon  as  previously  arranged. 

Coming  to  the  passenger  trains,  the  last  through 
Broad  Gauge  one  to  leave  Paddington  was  the  '  Cor- 
nishman,'  on  Friday,  2Oth  May.  The  terminus  was 
all  bustle  and  excitement  as  soon  as  daylight  dawned 
on  this  eventful  morning,  the  most  unobservant  per- 
son could  not  fail  to  notice  a  curious  and  unusual 
expression  on  the  countenances  of  the  railway 
officials  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  who  seemed 
to  be  gathering  on  the  platforms  in  increasing  num- 
bers, and  as  the  morning  wore  on  these  were  joined 
by  a  large  number  of  the  general  public,  many 
of  whom  certainly  had  not  prepared  for  a  railway 
journey.  Then  'gentlemen  of  the  press '  were  un- 
mistakably en  evidence,  artists  were  not  wanting  in  the 
increasing  crowd,  while  photographers — amateurs  and 
professionals — were  well  represented,  and  so  matters 
went  on  until  the  '  Cornishman '  was  drawn  up  at  the 


The  Final  Conversion.  289 

departure  platform,  when  the  suppressed  excitement 
began  to  be  openly  expressed,  reporters  were  trying  to 
get  hold  of  all  and  every  official  who  appeared  likely  to 
be  willing  to  impart  any  information  as  to  the  proceed- 
ings, while  the  guards,  driver  and  fireman  were  each 
surrounded  by  small  crowds  of  curious,  sympathising 
and  inquiring  individuals,  who  came  to  pay  their  last 
respects  to  the  expiring  7  feet  gauge.  No  little  ex- 
citement was  caused  among  the  mourners  by  the 
premature  departure  of  the  train,  but  after  journeying 
a  few  yards  it  was  brought  to  a  standstill,  and  inquiry 
showed  that  it  was  solely  for  the  benefit  of  photo- 
graphers that  this  forward  movement  was  made. 

As  the  hands  of  the  clock  showed  that  the  time  of 
departure  was  near  at  hand,  it  appeared  as  if  every 
employe  at  Paddington  Station  were  congregated  on 
the  various  platforms  to  see  the  '  Cornishman  '  depart. 
Among  the  officials  could  be  distinguished  Viscount 
Emlyn,  the  Deputy  Chairman  of  the  Company,  and 
Mr  Hubbard,  another  Director.  While  Colonel  Edg- 
cumbe,  another  Director,  and  Mr  Lambert,  the  General 
Manager,  travelled  through  to  Penzance.  Punctually 
to  time  the  famous  'Great  Britain,'  rebuilt  in  1888, 
started  on  this  fateful  career — -the  train  consisted  of 
seven  bogie  coaches,  and  the  last  through  Broad 
Gauge  train  glided  out  of  the  station  amid  the  cheers 
of  passengers  and  spectators.  As  the  last  van  passed 
the  platform,  the  veteran  guard,  who  had  travelled 
thousands  and  thousands  of  miles  in  Broad  Gauge 
trains,  leaned  his  head  out  of  the  window  and  cried,— 
'  One  cheer  all  together  for  the  last.'  This  brought 
forth  what  is  called  a  '  rouser.' 

The  following  is  the  timing  of  this  train  to  Swin- 
don  : — 

h.     m.    s.  h.     m.    s- 

Paddington,  dep.,  .       10  15     o  Castle  Hill,     .  .  10  26     4 

Westbourne,  pass., .       10   18  15  Han  well,         .  .  10  27     3 

2  mile  post,    .         .       10  19  45  Southall,         .  .  10  29  20 

Acton,    .         .         .       10  22  53  Hayes,  .         .  10  31   50 

Baling,  .         .         .       10  24  55  West  Drayton,  .  10  34  43 


290      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 


Langley, 

Slough, 

19  mile  post, 

Taplow, 

Maidenhead,  / 

24^  mile  post, 

26 

26J 

m 

28j 
29} 
30 

Twyford, 
32  mile  post, 
Reading, 
Tilehurst, 
Pangbourne, 
42  mile  post, 

44     )»       >j 
Goring, 


h.     in. 

s. 

10  38 

15 

48  mile  post, 

10  40 

55 

52     „       „ 

10  41 

35 

Didcot, 

10  45 

So 

54  mile  post, 

10  48 

10 

56     „       „ 

10  48 

45 

Steventon, 

10  50 

20 

58  mile  post, 

10  51 

10 

60     „      „ 

10  52 

55 

6  1  mile  post, 

10  53 

3° 

62 

10  54 

46 

63 

10  55 

46 

65 

10  57 

5 

66 

10  58 

30 

68 

ii     3 

20 

70 

ii     6 

10 

7i 

ii     9 

40 

72 

II     10 

30 

75 

II     12 

20 

76 

, 

II     13 

10 

Swindon, 

h.     m.    s. 

ii  16  55 

II  21  2O 
II  22  30 
II  23  40 

ii  26  5 

II  26  50 
II  28  30 

ii  3°  45 
ii  3i  55 
ii  33  4 
ii  34  7 
ii  36  40 

ii  37  55 
ii  40  55 
ii  42  25 

ii  43  40 

ii  44  45 
ii  48  10 
ii  49  20 
ii  51  20 


At  Swindon  two  fog-signals  were  detonated  by  the 
engine  as  she  entered  the  station.  Here  again  was 
another  crowd  of  regretful  admirers  and  photographers, 
more  cheering  as  the  train  started  for  the  west,  and 
quite  a  volley  of  fog-signals  were  discharged  as  the 
train  left  the  station.  Much  the  same  scene  was 
enacted  at  every  station  on  the  journey,  and  it  was 
stated  that  this  train  was  photographed  at  over  a 
hundred  different  places.  This  train  was  timed  to  call 
at  several  additional  stations,  and  was  not  due  at 
Penzance  till  8.20  P.M.,  over  an  hour  later  than  usual, 
but  as  a  fact  it  was  9  P.M.  before  the  last  Broad  Gauge 
'  Cornishman '  reached  its  western  destination.  A 
large  crowd  took  tickets  from  Penzance  by  the  last 
local  train  to  Truro,  and,  alighting  at  Marazion,  caught 
the  "  Cornishman,"  '  thus  riding  back  to  Penzance  by 
the  last  Broad  Gauge  passenger  train.  On  the  arrival 
of  this  train,  arrangements  were  at  once  made  for  the 
return  to  Swindon  of  a  train  which  should  clear  the 
whole  of  the  Broad  Gauge  traffic  from  the  line. 
This  train  was  made  up  of  two  engines,  six  coaches, 


The  Final  Conversion.  291 

and  a  breakdown  van  containing  a  gang  of  men  sup- 
plied from  Newton  Abbot,  and  the  necessary  tools 
which  were  provided  in  view  of  any  accident,  the 
object  being  to  clear  the  line  of  all  possible  ob- 
struction. 

The  last  through  up  passenger  train  from  Penzance 
was  the  mail,  on  Friday  afternoon.  This  train  was 
also  late,  and  at  Plymouth  was  nearly  an  hour  be- 
hind, not  leaving  the  Mill  Bay  Station  till  9.17  P.M. 
There  was  great  competition  among  the  through 
guards  as  to  who  should  have  the  honour  of  work- 
ing this  last  Broad  Gauge  train  to  London.  The 
fortunate  one  received  a  present  at  Mutley  collected 
from  a  few  passengers  during  the  journey  from  Mill 
Bay. 

As  the  train  proceeded  on  its  course  to  Totnes,  the 
first  stopping  place,  there  were  at  each  station  clusters 
of  people  assembled,  and  the  platelayers  turned  out  of 
their  tents  to  give  it  a  hearty  cheer  and  a  respectful 
farewell,  which  was  clearly  heard  above  its  vibrating 
roar.  At  Exeter,  notwithstanding  that  it  was  near 
midnight,  and  the  train  was  i  hour  15  minutes  late, 
it  was  the  subject  of  a  farewell  demonstration,  a 
large  crowd  having  patiently  waited  to  see  the  last 
of  the  Broads. 

It  was  the  last  of  its  kind  to  leave  the  city,  and  those 
present  wished  it  a  hearty  good-bye.  It  had  met  the 
down  train  at  Dawlish,  where  there  was  much  shaking 
of  hands  through  the  windows,  the  passengers  singing 
'  Auld  Lang  Syne.'  One  of  the  coaches  which  came 
up  Bore  the  inscription — 

Good-bye  to  this  old  body  of  mine, 
I've  knocked  about  for  many  a  time ; 
E.G.  I  am,  E.G.  I'll  stay, 
Until  I'm  turned  the  narrow  way. 

Another  less  poetical,  but  more  tragic  sentiment 
on  a  goods  truck  was,  '  Good  riddance,  old  boy,  you 
nearly  killed  me  two  years  ago.' 


292      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

As  it  left  Exeter,  shortly  before  the  stroke  of 
twelve  o'clock,  following  the  lead  of  the  '  Amazon,'  it 
received  the  last  cheer  raised  by  the  public.  Thence 
to  Swindon  its  course  was  as  usual.  Here  it  was 
taken  up  by  the  '  Bulkeley,'  which  had  brought  down 
the  last  Broad  Gauge  from  London  the  previous  after- 
noon, and  as  it  passed  out  of  the  station  a  salute  of 
exploding  fog-signals  announced  the  departure  of  the 
last  train  on  the  Broad  Gauge.  On  arrival  at 
Paddington  the  passengers  on  turning  out,  feeling 
that  they  had  taken  an  indirect  part  in  the  final  per- 
formance of  the  Broad  Gauge  service,  lingered  to  see 
the  emptied  carriages  back  out  of  the  station,  in  pre- 
paration for  their  last  Broad  run  to  the  sidings  at 
Swindon. 

The  very  last  Broad  Gauge  passenger  train  to 
leave  Paddington  was  the  5  P.M.  for  Plymouth,  many 
people  placed  coins  on  the  line  for  the  train  to  run 
over,  and  now  treasure  them  up  as  mementoes  of  the 
journey  of  this  historic  train. 

At  Exeter  a  gentleman  took  his  stand  by  the  side 
of  the  '  Iron  Duke,'  which  had  brought  the  train 
from  Bristol,  and  delivered  an  oration  on  the  great 
advantages  of  the  Broad  Gauge.  This  train  did  not 
arrive  at  Plymouth  till  1.15  on  Saturday  morning, 
over  an  hour  late,  but  a  crowd  kept  vigil  to  see  the 
last  of  it. 

The  Portreeve  of  Ashburton  enveloped  the  loco- 
motive of  the  last  Broad  Gauge  train  from  that 
station  in  black  crape,  and  so  decked  in  mourning 
it  accomplished  its  last  journey  to  Totnes,  and  thence 
to  Swindon. 

From  Torquay  crowds  of  people  travelled  by  the 
last  train  to  Torre,  many  taking  two  tickets  and 
keeping  one  in  memory  of  the  eventful  journey. 
After  the  public  traffic  was  over,  many  special  trains 
of  empty  Broad  Gauge  stock  and  dead  engines  of 
ancient  design  were  run  to  Swindon,  there  to  await 
their  turn  of  conversion  or  extinction. 


Final  Conversion.  293 

From  Plymouth  such  trains  left  at  7.10,  9.20,  11.20, 

11.35,  p-M->  and  I2-55  A-M- 

,,      Moretonhampstead         ,,  ,,       IO.OP.M. 

,,      Ashburton  ,,  ,,       10.0   ,, 

Liskeard  „  „       9.50   „ 

Kingswear  ,,  „       8.15    „ 

and  12.45  A-M-  on  Saturday,  which  train 
also  included  the  Brixham  branch  train 
and  engine. 

„      Penzance        ,,  ,,  at  7.5    P.M. 

„      Launceston     „  „       9.35    „ 

Falmouth        „  „       8.15    „ 

St  Ives  „  „       8.50    „ 

As  already  stated,  the  last  Broad^Gauge  train,  con- 
sisting of  the  stock  of  the  down  '  Cornishman,'  and  a 
breakdown  van  drawn  by  two  locomotives  was  timed 
to  leave  Penzance  at  9.10  P.M.,  and  to  reach  Swindon 
at  9.45  A.M.  on  Saturday  morning.  The  departure  of 
this  train  did  not  take  place  till  10  P.M.,  it  stopped  at 
every  station  and  an  inspector  travelled  with  it,  and 
when  he  had  ascertained  from  each  stationmaster 
that  all  Broad  Gauge  stock  had  been  worked  away, 
and  he  had  also  satisfied  himself  that  the  whole 
of  the  trains  timed  to  leave  their  respective  junc- 
tions in  advance  of  him  had  departed,  and  having 
done  this,  he  issued  a  notice  in  the  following  printed 
form  to  every  stationmaster  between  Penzance  and 
Exeter  :— 

'This  is  the  last  Broad  Gauge  train  to  travel 
over  the  line  between  Penzance  and  Exeter.' 

On  receipt  of  this  notice  the  stationmasters,  at 
the  stations  between  Penzance  and  Exeter,  gave  a 
printed  notice  to  the  representative  of  the  Engineering 
Department  in  the  following  form,  that  he  could  take 
possession  of  the  line  : — 

'  This  is  to  certify  that  the  last  Broad  Gauge  train 
from  Penzance  has  left  this  station,  and  the  Engineer- 
ing Department  can  now  take  possession  of  the  line 


294      -A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

from  the  station  in  the  rear  up  to  this  station,  for  the 
purpose  of  converting  the  gauge.' 

Similar  forms  were  given  and  received  from  the 
last  Broad  Gauge  trains  on  the  branch  lines. 

The  mail  service  to  and  from  Cornwall,  during  the 
time  of  the  conversion,  was  performed  partly  by  rail, 
partly  by  steamer,  and  partly  by  coach.  The  9  P.M. 
mail  train  was  Narrow  Gauge  for  the  first  time  on  the 
Friday,  and  was  consequently  the  first  train  (usually 
Broad  Gauge)  to  run  Narrow  Gauge.  Leaving  Exeter 
at  2.45  A.M.,  this  train  was  handed  over  to  the  London 
and  South  Western,  and  was  conveyed  over  their  line 
to  Plymouth  (North  Road),  arriving  there  at  4.20  A.M. 
Here  the  passengers,  mails  and  parcels  were  trans- 
ferred to  waggonettes  and  conveyed  to  the  Mill  Bay 
Docks,  whence  the  Great  Western  Railway  steamer 
'  Gazelle '  (one  of  the  new  boats  employed  in  the 
Weymouth  and  Channel  Islands  service)  left  at  5.30 
A.M.,  and  was  due  at  Fowey  at  7.30,  and  Falmouth 
9.30.  The  steamer,  however,  made  quicker  voyages 
than  was  expected,  and  arrived  at  Fowey  at  7.17,  and 
Falmouth  at  8.45.  There  was  quite  a  busy  scene  on 
her  arrival  at  the  latter  port.  There  were  coaches 
and  four,  waggonettes  and  other  vehicles  in  readiness 
to  receive  the  mails.  As  the  heavily-laden  coaches 
passed  through  the  streets  of  the  town,  the  remark 
was  frequently  heard, — '  It  reminds  one  of  olden 
times,'  or  words  to  that  effect.  West  of  Truro,  to 
which  city  the  mails  were  conveyed  from  Falmouth 
by  coach,  the  usual  order  of  things  was  reversed  as 
the  up  mail  left  before  the  down  one  arrived,  thus 
a  reply  to  a  letter  by  Friday's  night  mail,  from  London 
to  Penzance,  could  not  be  despatched  from  Penzance 
until  Sunday  morning  instead  of  Saturday  morning. 
The  London  night  mail  was  despatched  by  train 
leaving  Penzance  at  11.15  A-M-  m  charge  of  a  mail 
guard.  This  officer  received  and  put  out  mails  at  all 
stations  as  far  as  Truro,  and  there  met  and  took 
charge  of  the  down  night  mail,  performing  the  same 


The  Final  Conversion.  295 

duties  on  the  homeward  journey,  reaching  Penzance 
at  2. 20  P.M.  On  Sunday  the  same  officer  took  charge 
of  the  mails,  conveyed  by  coach  and  four  leaving  Pen- 
zance post  office  at  8  A.M.,  by  way  of  Marazion,  Hayle, 
Camborne,  Carn  Brea,  etc.,  to  Redruth,  picking  up  mails 
at  each  office.  The  down  night  mail  was  timed  to 
arrive  at  Redruth  shortly  after  the  up  mail  left 
there,  as  soon  as  the  coaches  had  exchanged  their 
respective  mails,  the  down  service  was  performed  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  up  mail  service,  reaching 
Penzance  office  at  3.5  P.M. 

The  steamer,  on  her  return  voyages  on  Saturday 
and  Sunday,  was  again  before  time.  Leaving  Fal- 
mouth  at  3.30  P.M.,  she  arrived  at  Plymouth  at  6.42 
instead  of  7.30,  from  thence  to  Exeter  the  mail  was 
forwarded  by  the  London  and  South' Western  Railway. 

So  satisfied  were  the  Great  Western  officials  that 
the  colossal  work  of  converting  the  gauge  on  the 
Cornwall  Railway  between  Plymouth  and  Penzance 
would  be  successfully  carried  out  within  48  hours, 
that  the  mail  train  leaving  London  at  9  P.M.  on 
Sunday  (arriving  at  Plymouth  via  London  and  South 
Western  from  Exeter)  was  booked  to  leave  North 
Road  at  4.40  A.M.,  and  travel  over  the  line  just  nar- 
rowed, and  arrive  at  Penzance  at  8.17  on  Monday 
morning,  calling  at  all  intermediate  stations.  This 
journey  was  duly  run  to  time. 

The  London  and  South  Western  also  conveyed 
empty  Great  Western  Narrow  Gauge  stock  from 
Exeter  to  Plymouth  on  the  Friday  morning.  These 
vehicles  stood  at  Laira  until  Monday  morning,  and 
formed  the  first  Narrow  Gauge  trains.  The  Narrow 
Gauge  coaches  to  work  the  Brixham,  Kingswear, 
Moretonhampstead  and  Ashburton  branches  were 
sent  over  the  South  Devon  line  from  Exeter  by 
specials  at  3.15  and  4.40  A.M.  on  the  Monday  morn- 
ing. The  ordinary  Narrow  Gauge  rolling  stock  of  the 
Cornwall  Minerals  line  provided  the  coaches  for  trains 
on  Monday  from  Truro,  Falmouth  and  Penzance. 


296      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

The  amount  of  Narrow  Gauge  rolling  stock  was  so 
restricted  on  the  Monday  that  no  through  vehicles 
were  run  from  the  Falmouth  branch  to  London. 

The  Helston  Narrow  Gauge  branch  was  'com- 
mandeered '  to  the  extent  of  one  tri-compo  and  two 
third-class  coaches,  to  form  the  St  Ives  branch  train, 
while,  to  provide  for  the  early  up  trains  from  Pen- 
zance,  Narrow  Gauge  coaches  were  worked  down 
from  Plymouth  (North  Road)  to  Cam  Brea  yard  on 
crocodile  trucks,  which,  as  soon  as  unloaded,  were 
returned  for  two  more  coaches,  and  this  was  repeated 
until  sixteen  coaches  had  been  thus  conveyed. 

On  Saturday,  2ist  May,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
district  between  Truro  and  Penzance,  after  an  interval 
of  nearly  thirty  years,  again  saw  Narrow  Gauge  pas- 
senger trains  running  over  the  West  Cornwall  Railway, 
for  a  special  service  of  Narrow  Gauge  trains  was  pro- 
vided on  this  line,  which  had  still  preserved  the  Narrow 
Gauge  line  on  which  it  was  built,  and  was  the  only 
Mixed  Gauge  line  in  Cornwall.  This  section  was 
closed  on  the  Sunday  for  alterations.  The  conversion 
did  not  affect  the  following  Narrow  Gauge  branches  :— 

Helston  Branch  ; 

Cornwall  Minerals  Line ; 

Bodmin  and  Wadebridge  Branches  ; 

Princetown  Branch ; 

Teign  Valley  Branch  ; 

while  a  service  of  Narrow  Gauge  trains  was  run 
between  Plymouth  (North  Road)  and  Tavistock,  the 
gauge  on  this  line  having  been  mixed  to  accommodate 
the  London  and  South  Western  some  years  previously. 
The  full  usual  service  of  Narrow  Gauge  trains  was 
advertised  to  run  on  Monday,  23d  May.  Mr  Foxwell, 
of  '  Express  train  '  celebrity,  travelled  from  Penzance 
by  the  up  '  Cornishman,'  and  wrote  to  the  Pall  Mall 
Gazette  the  following  epigrammic  account  of  that 
journey  : — 

;  It  has   been    said    that   sudden   conversions   are 


The  Final  Conversion.  297 

never  to  be  relied  on.  No  one  would  assent  to  this 
proposition  after  travelling  in  the  '  up  Cornishman  ' 
to-day.  This  train  is  timed  to  leave  Penzance  at 
11.10,  and  to  reach  Paddington  at  7.50.  Considering 
the  extraordinary  character  of  the  line  from  Penzance 
to  Exeter  (132  miles),  this  represents  a  sufficiently 
hard  task.  To-day,  therefore,  being  the  first  on  which 
the  Cornish  express  was  to  run  Narrow  Gauge,  over 
a  track  which  had  just  been  changed  from  Broad 
Gauge  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  no  one  (except  the 
drivers)  thought  it  possible  for  the  train  to  keep  time, 
at  any  rate  along  the  section  from  Truro  to  Plymouth, 
which  is  composed  (or  discomposed)  on  incessant 
curves  and  thirty-three  trestle  viaducts.  However,  it 
was  on  this  section  that  we  did  best,  for  at  each  stop- 
ping station  we  had  to  wait  till  our  time  was  up,  and 
then  we  ran  into  North  Road  too  soon.  Not  once 
were  we  checked  by  any  weak  spot  in  the  road  so 
recently  relaid.  Finally,  after  being  snubbed  all  the 
way  up  for  being  too  forward,  we  shut  off  steam  2j 
miles  outside  Paddington,  and  stopped  at  the  platform 
at  7.46 — that  is,  4  minutes  before  our  time.  In  spite 
of  all  temptations  to  belong  to  other  nations,  I  am 
content  to  be  an  Englishman  just  now. — Yours  truly, 

'  E.  FOXWELL.' 


(6)  THE  CONVERSION  OF  THE  LINE. 

The  arrangements  made  by  Mr  Trench,  the  Great 
Western  engineer  for  the  stupendous  work  of  convert- 
ing some  230  miles  of  line  from  the  safe,  comfortable 
and  convenient  7  feet  gauge  to  the  cramped  coal-wain 
wheel  track,  now  almost  universal  in  this  country,  were 
of  such  a  complete  and  exhaustive  nature  that  they 
rightly  deserve  a  foremost  place  in  the  annals  of  en- 
gineering triumphs,  as  an  example  of  a  gigantic  task 
successfully  carried  out  in  an  exceedingly  short  time, 
without  hitch  or  accident.  The  success  of  the  work  is 


298      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 


undoubtedly  due  to  the  very  careful  way  in  which 
every  detail  of  the  work  to  be  performed  had  been 
mapped  out  most  minutely  and  scheduled  many 
months  beforehand,  and  it  only  required  obedience  to 
orders  on  the  part  of  the  men  employed  to  enable  the 
undertaking  to  be  carried  through  without  mishap  ;  and 
so  well  was  the  army  of  workers  disciplined  in  this 
desideratum  of  immediate  and  exact  attention  to  orders, 
that  failure  was  an  unknown  quantity.  The  result 
would  have  been  quite  otherwise  had  there  been  any 
indecision  or  want  of  cohesion  among  the  men  or  their 
superiors.  The  many  permanent  way  hands  usually 
employed  on  the  230  miles  of  line  to  be  converted, 
were  assisted  in  the  work  by  importations  of  fellow- 
workmen  from  all  parts  of  the  Great  Western  system. 
These  left  their  various  districts  on  Thursday, 
May,  as  follows :— 


From 

No.  of  Men. 

Destination. 

Chester,   . 

441 

Main   line  —  Exeter  to  Newton  and 
Ashburton  branch. 

New  Milford,    . 
Bristol,     . 

315 
462 

Totnes  and  Rattery. 
Moretonhampstead,   Kingswear  and 
Brixham  branches. 

Crewe, 
Paddington, 
Weymouth, 

378 
447 
414 

Main  line  —  Totnes  to  Plymouth. 
Main  line  —  Plymouth  to  St  Austell. 
Lidford    to    Launceston;     Bodmin 
Road  to  St  Austell. 

Tondu,    . 

483 

Par  to  Falmouth. 

Total, 

2940 

Exaggerated  accounts  appeared  in  many  papers  as 
to  the  number  of  men  imported  to  do  the  work,  some 
putting  it  as  high  as  5000.  The  total  number  en- 
gaged, including  those  in  the  district,  did  not  exceed 
4200.  The  men  were  billeted  in  gangs  of  about 
sixty,  accommodation  being  found  them  in  the  goods 


The  Final  Conversion.  299 

sheds,  waiting- rooms,  and  other  offices,  or  in  tents 
erected  for  the  purpose  along  the  line.  Each  man 
had  a  straw  mattress  for  a  bed  and  two  rugs,  provided 
by  the  company ;  and  on  arrival  at  the  allotted  posts 
hot  gruel  (oatmeal  and  water),  was  served  out,  the 
Directors  having  supplied  10  tons  of  oatmeal,  and  this 
was  the  only  refreshment  they  attempted  to  supply, 
every  man  being  required  to  provide  himself  with  a 
week's  supply  of  food.  Mr  Wills,  of  Bristol,  of  the 
firm  of  W.  and  H.  O.  Wills,  who  is  also  a  Director  of 
this  company,  very  generously  gave  five  thousand  two 
ounce  packets  of  the  celebrated  '  Westward  Ho'  brand 
tobacco  for  distribution  among  the  men,  and  each  man 
received  a  packet  before  commencing  work.  The 
cost  of  this  gift  amounted  to  ^150.  Undoubtedly 
this  was  a  capital  advertisement,  and  those  who  in- 
dulged in  the  fragrant  weed  extolled  its  virtues. 
Every  three  gangs  had  an  inspector  over  them,  this 
official  being  responsible  for  the  conversion  of  about  3^ 
miles  of  way.  Forty-six  miles  of  the  length  to  be  con- 
verted was  laid  with  cross  sleepers  instead  of  the 
famous  safety  longitudinal  ones.  On  these  parts  the 
line  had  already  been  prepared  for  the  Narrow  Gauge, 
not  only  by  placing  the  chairs  in  position,  but  a  third 
rail  was  actually  laid,  so  that  the  real  length  to  be 
altered  during  the  period  allowed  for  the  final  con- 
version was  considerably  less  than  popularly  supposed. 
Had  the  whole  of  the  line  to  be  converted  been  laid 
with  cross  sleepers  it  would  have  been  impossible  to 
have  altered  their  position  in  anything  like  the  short 
time  allowed  for  conversion.  Indeed,  it  is  quite  pos- 
sible that  the  whole  line  would  have  been  'mixed' 
instead  of  converted,  but  as  the  great  cost  was  the 
principal  factor  in  preventing  the  mixing  of  the  gauge 
through  Devon  and  Cornwall,  the  travellers  have  the 
longitudinal  sleepers  to  thank  for  the  minimum  of  in- 
convenience caused  by  the  alteration  of  the  gauge. 
The  actual  work  to  be  done  consisted  of  four  distinct 
operations  : — 


3OO      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

1.  Removing  the  ballast. 

2.  Cross-cutting   the    transoms  and  removing  the 

tie-rods. 

3.  Slewing  the  sleeper  and  rail. 

4.  Bolting  up  the  rails  and  rough  ballasting. 

On  many  sections  of  the  line  this  work  was  actually 
accomplished  in  the  incredibly  short  space  of  3 1  hours. 
The  advanced  preparations  were  of  a  more  complete 
character  than  can  be  appreciated  by  many  of  the  travel- 
ling public.  When  the  South  Wales  conversion  was 
made  none  of  the  transoms  between  the  longitudinal  per- 
manent way  were  cut  entirely  through.  Of  every  three 
transoms  two  were  cut  three  parts  through,  and  the 
other  was  left  intact  until  the  traffic  stopped.  On  this 
occasion  every  alternate  transom  was  cut  partly 
through,  and  the  others  entirely  through.  In  many 
cases  where  the  transoms  were  strengthened  by  iron 
rods  alongside,  these  were  shortened  and  a  fresh  worm 
made  so  as  to  be  in  readiness.  Besides  which  the 
ballast  had  been  removed  from  around  the  sleeper  to 
be  moved,  and  also  from  the  new  position  the  sleeper 
was  to  occupy.  So  that  during  the  last  days  before 
the  conversion  the  lines  were  on  rather  shaky  bases. 
On  the  Thursday  and  Friday  the  workmen  found 
plenty  of  occupation  in  connection  with  the  station  sid- 
ings, the  transformation  of  which  from  Broad  to 
Narrow  Gauge  was  considerably  advanced.  At  day- 
break on  the  Saturday  the  army  of  workmen  was 
astir,  and  a  few  minutes  later  each  man  was  busily 
engaged  in  carrying  out  the  particular  duty  allocated  to 
him,  and  so  the  work  of  wiping  out  the  noble  con- 
ception of  Brunei  proceeded  apace,  some  hammering, 
others  slewing,  then  the  more  particular  work  of 
adjusting  the  newly  positioned  line.  The  work  was  of 
a  many-sided  character,  fairly  easy  where  there  was  a 
straight  length  of  line  to  be  dealt  with,  but  fraught 
with  difficulty  where  the  railroad  curves,  and  where  at 
crossings,  with  their  network  of  rails,  the  points  had 
to  be  readjusted.  In  dealing  with  the  longitudinal 


The  Final  Conversion.  301 

sleeper,  the  transoms  which  held  the  long  lengths  of 
timber  together  were  cut  off  to  the  required  gauge 
length,  and  the  rail  and  sleeper  shifted  in  bodily  and 
readjusted.  Preparations  had  already  been  made  for 
the  work.  At  the  points  much  ingenuity  and  care  was 
necessary.  Great  difficulties  had  to  be  surmounted  in 
altering  the  gauge  at  junctions  and  goods  yards  where 
the  lines  intertwine  in  a  perfect  maze.  Short  sections 
of  the  new  lines  where  points  occur  were  carefully 
prepared  and  substituted  for  the  old  sections.  Where 
the  line  curved  in  rounding  corners  it  was  very  diffi- 
cult. Every  curve  of  a  rail  is  a  segment  of  a  true  circle, 
hence,  when  the  outer  of  the  two  lines  is  moved  in,  some 
portion  of  the  rail  had  to  be  cut  off,  as  by  narrowing 
the  gauge  and  drawing  in  the  outer  line  the  outer  line 
was  found  too  long. 

So  rapidly  had  the  change  been  effected  that 
by  one  o'clock  on  the  Saturday  afternoon  the 
South  Devon  line,  which  when  first  constructed 
was  never  expected  to  have  a  locomotive  on  it,  had 
reached  the  level  of  all  other  railways  in  the  country, 
and  a  Narrow  Gauge  locomotive  was  cautiously  steam- 
ing over  the  erstwhile  Atmospheric  Railway,  and  so 
after  10  hours'  work  it  became  possible,  with  care  and 
caution,  to  run  Narrow  Gauge  trains  over  the  various 
sections  west  of  Exeter ;  not  that  the  work  was  in  any 
sense  completed,  but  the  whole  of  the  rails  had  in  that 
time  been  slewed  into  their  new  position. 

The  action  of  the  Great  Western  Railway  Company 
necessitated  the  Falmouth  Docks  Company  narrow 
gauging  their  lines,  the  expense  incurred  in  connection 
therewith  being  ^4000.  There  were  over  5  miles  of  line 
to  be  dealt  with,  including  many  crossings,  etc.  Two 
experienced  foremen  from  the  South  Western  Railway 
were  engaged  to  render  help  in  this  conversion,  which 
was  carried  out  under  the  superintendence  of  the  dock's 
engineer.  The  whole  of  the  work  at  the  docks  was 
completed — without  the  aid  of  Sunday  labour — 
by  Tuesday  morning. 


3O2      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

More  than  a  year  after  the  '  abolition  of  the 
Broad  Gauge '  we  noticed  that  the  disused  branch 
of  the  Cornwall  Railway  from  Lostwithiel  to  Fowey 
was  still  unconverted,  and  may  be  still,  for  aught  its 
proprietors  seem  to  care,  now  the  route  to  Fowey  is 
via  Par  and  St  Blazey. 

The  sea  was  an  object  of  wonder  to  many  countrymen 
who  had  never  seen  the  restless  waves  before,  and  some 
of  the  denser  ones,  whose  ideas  of  autocratic  and  un- 
limited power  did  not  go  beyond  their  railway,  were 
credited  with  the  opinion  that  the  daily  variation  of  the 
tides  was  carried  out  from  instructions  received  from  the 
General  Manager  at  Paddington,  and  this  fairy  tale  was 
carried  still  further  by  the  rejoinder  that  it  was  the 
Admiralty  and  not  the  Great  Western  Railway  that 
was  responsible  for  this  natural  phenomenon. 

The  abolition  of  the  Broad  Gauge  was  not  carried 
out  without  some  pathos,  for  at  Torquay  a  ganger 
drowned  himself  rather  than  face  the  difficulty  of  the 
task  allotted  to  him.  This  unfortunate  man  had  been 
engaged  in  the  narrow  gauging  of  the  line  on  the 
Torquay  branch,  and  complained  to  his  wife  of  the 
pressure  of  work,  stating  that  it  required  a  great 
deal  of  study.  He  also  talked  to  men  under  him 
about  the  work,  and  wondered  whether  the  2\ 
miles  of  line  for  which  he  was  responsible  would 
turn  out  all  right.  He  also  said  he  was  afraid 
he  would  not  have  enough  tools  for  the  men  who 
were  to  be  sent  down.  He  was  very  quiet  on 
Monday  night,  but  ate  his  supper  and  went  to  bed 
in  his  usual  health.  On  the  following  morning  he 
went  to  work  in  the  Torquay  Station  Yard,  where 
he  remained  until  half-past  nine.  He  then  walked 
away  down  the  line,  and  was  not  seen  again  alive. 
So  the  poor  man  sought  for  rest  beneath  the  blue 
waves  of  Torbay,  and  saw  not  the  4  feet  8|-  inch 
gauge  laid  in  his  native  place. 

The  arrangements  for  bringing  back  the  extra  men 
from  the  West  of  Exeter  to  their  own  districts  were 


The  Final  Conversion.  303 

of  a  more  minute  character  than  those  made  for  con- 
veying them  to  the  scene  of  operations.  On  Mon- 
day and  Tuesday,  23d  and  24th  May,  seven  empty 
trains  left  Bristol  and  Weston  for  the  various  points 
to  fetch  men  back,  and  soon  after  6  A.M.  on  Tuesday 
morning"  the  homeward  trip  was  commenced,  and 
a  half  an  hour  after  noon  on  that  day  the  whole  of 
the  imported  men  were  again  east  of  Exeter,  and 
quickly  journeying  to  their  respective  destinations. 
From  some  branches  and  stations  as  few  as  two 
men  were  required  for  the  conversion,  yet  there 
were  printed  instructions  as  to  which  branch  trains 
they  were  to  travel  by  on  their  return  journey, 
many  not  reaching  home  till  nearly  mid-day  on  the 
25th. 

The  minute  arrangements  made  for  the  five  men 
from  Brentford  we  fancy  were  hardly  likely  to  have 
been  appreciated  or  even  carried  out  by  those  con- 
cerned ;  thus  the  special  train  was  due  at  West 
Drayton  at  9.46  P.M.,  and  the  five  men  for  Ux- 
bridge  left  by  the  10.19  P.M.  ordinary.  The  same 
special  was  due  at  Southall  at  10.2  P.M.,  but  as  the 
last  train  to  Brentford  left  Southall  at  9.18  P.M., 
these  five  unfortunate  beings  were  directed  by 
the  red  tapeism  of  the  officials  to  spend  a 
night  at  Southall  Station,  and  leave  there  at 
7.25  A.M  next  morning  for  Brentford;  but  as  that 
town  is  only  distant  4  miles  from  Southall  it  is 
more  than  likely  that  after  five  nights  of  bivouac- 
ing  in  Cornwall  the  men  would  journey  home  by 
'shanks's  mare,'  and  before  midnight  be  enjoying 
the  comfort  of  sleeping  in  their  own  beds  instead  of 
roughing  it  for  another  night,  and  so  fully  carrying 
out  the  too  minute  arrangements  made  on  their 
behalf. 

As  soon  as  the  conversion  was  carried  out  the 
engineer  of  the  Great  Western  Railway  retired,  and 
as  he  was  not  a  Broad  Gauge  man,  but  a  native 
of  the  North  of  England  and  an  advocate  of  the 


304      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Narrow  Gauge,  he  was  doubtless  pleased  to  give  up, 
seeing  he  had  achieved  such  a  complete  conversion. 
Thus  was  the  abolition  of  the  7  feet  o|-  inch  railway 
gauge  completed,  and  its  epitaph,  as  written  in 
chalk  on  a  sleeper  by  a  large-hearted  West  Country 
platelayer,  was,  '  Good-bye,  poor  old  Broad  Gauge. 
God  bless  you.' 


(c]  CONVERSION  OF  THE  ROLLING  STOCK. 

At  the  first  blush  the  conversion  of  a  large  number 
of  locomotives,  waggons  and  carriages  appears  almost 
impossible.  At  the  very  best  one  would  expect  the 
alteration  of  even  a  single  vehicle  to  be  a  long 
and  complicated  proceeding,  yet  so  complete  were 
the  arrangements,  and  for  so  many  years  had  this 
alteration  been  contemplated,  that  stock,  particularly 
engines,  had  been  built  and  worn  out  long  before 
the  fateful  day  of  conversion  came  round.  For 
over  two  years  Swindon  had  been  preparing  for 
the  conversion,  and  nearly  20  miles  of  Broad  Gauge 
siding  were  laid  down  at  Swindon  to  hold  the  numer- 
ous vehicles  sent  there.  At  the  date  of  the  conversion 
the  Broad  Gauge  stock  consisted  of— 

197  engines,  of  which    .         .  130  convertible      67  unconvertible. 
555  carriages    and     coaching 

vehicles,    .         .         .  426          „  129  „ 

3269  waggons  and  goods  trucks  792          ,,  2477  ,, 

4021  Total  E.G.  Stock.  1348          „  2673  „ 

Of  the  locomotives  several  were  new  ones,  designed 
by  Mr  Dean,  and  constructed  to  work  the  West  of 
England  expresses  when  the  Broad  Gauge  was  no 
more.  These  were  Narrow  Gauge  engines  in  every 
particular  except  in  the  length  of  the  axle.  For  the 
few  months  these  engines  were  running  Broad  Gauge 
they  looked  most  ungainly  with  the  wheels  outside  the 


II 

w    •'I 
z    ^ 

3  o" 

^     z 


The  Final  Conversion.  307 

frames  and  far  away  from  the  boiler,  it  has  been  said 
that  there  was  really  no  occasion  for  these  to 
have  been  built  Broad  Gauge  at  all,  as  the  old  style 
Broad  Gauge  express  locomotives  were  capable  of 
working  the  traffic  during  the  few  months  these 
engines  were  in  use  as  Broad  Gauge  locomotives. 
It  is  probable  that  no  locomotives  have  evoked  so 
much  hostile  criticism  .as  these  engines  designed  by 
Mr  Dean  to  work  the  express  trains  made  world- 
famous  by  the  Broad  Gauge.  The  weight  of  these 
new  Narrow  Gauge  engines  on  six  wheels  is  44 
tons  4  cwt.,  of  which  13  tons  4  cwt.  is  on  the  lead- 
ing axle. 

It  is,  therefore,  no  wonder  that  these  'ironclads' 
break  their  leading  axles,  as  three  Qr  more  have  already 
done,  and  that  Mr  Dean  has  now  fitted  leading  bogies 
to  these  engines.  Had  Mr  Gooch's  experience  with 
the  '  Great  Western '  been  remembered,  and  these 
locomotives  been  at  first  provided  with  a  leading  bogie, 
the  company  would  have  saved  the  expense  of  the 
subsequent  alterations  and  the  damages  caused  by  the 
breaking  of  the  axles.  In  consequence  of  the  high 
centre  of  gravity  of  these  engines,  their  safety  at  ex- 
press speed  has  been  questioned ;  the  top  of  the 
smoke  box  is  only  half  an  inch  nearer  the  rails  than 
was  that  of  the  Broad  Gauge  engines,  which  had  a 
base  7  feet  wide,  as  against  4  feet  8|-  inches  of  the 
present  engines,  a  very  considerable  factor,  coupled 
with  a  high  centre  of  gravity,  when  it  comes  to  a 
case  of  an  engine  turning  over  or  running  off  the 
rails.  The  diameter  of  the  cylinders  have  also  been 
reduced  from  20  inches  to  19  inches  ;  while  the 
addition  of  the  bogie  makes  them  too  long  for  the 
usual  turn-tables,  so  that  another  difficulty  has  arisen. 
These  alterations  have  made  the  engines  more  popular, 
while  to  still  further  gain  public  favour  they  have  all 
been  named  ;  very  many  after  famous  Broad  Gauge 
engines,  and  others  after  well  known  Broad  Gauge 
men. 


308      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

The  426  carriages  converted  were  of  three 
kinds  —  carriages  with  Broad  Gauge  bodies,  which 
had  to  be  taken  to  pieces  and  closed  in  so  as  to  bring 
them  to  the  Narrow  dimensions,  8  feet  6  inches,  or  2 
feet  less  in  width  than  the  old  carriages;  secondly,  there 
were  carriages  with  Narrow  Gauge  bodies  and  Broad 
Gauge  frames  and  wheels;  and  thirdly,  some  carriages 
had  Narrow  Gauge  bodies  and  frames,  and  merely  Broad 
Gauge  bogies  and  wheels.  The  process  of  converting 
the  last-named  had  been  carefully  planned  by  the  officials, 
and  the  machinery  was  so  perfect  that  a  carriage  was 
transformed  in  10  minutes,  while  no  less  than  25  were 
completely  converted  in  6J-  hours.  The  change  was 
effected  this  wise  : — Batches  of  six  carriages  were  run 
into  a  shed  set  apart  for  the  purpose.  The  floor 
where  the  wheels  rested  was  capable  of  rising  and 
falling.  When  the  carriages  were  properly  arranged, 
the  bodies  of  the  carnages  were  raised  by  hydraulic 
power  clear  of  their  bogies.  They  were  stayed  up 
from  the  surrounding  stationary  floor  so  as  to  stand 
when  the  wheels  were  removed.  This  completed,  the 
platform  on  which  were  the  Broad  Gauge  bogies  was 
lowered  beneath  the  level  of  the  adjacent  floor,  and  the 
bogies  run  underground  on  to  the  rails  near  by,  elevated 
to  the  line  level,  and  then  despatched  from  the  shed. 
Then  the  Narrow  Gauge  bogies  were  brought  in 
which  were  run  on  to  the  platform,  lowered  along 
under  their  carriages,  raised  to  the  carriage  bodies,  and 
fitted.  As  another  instance  of  the  speed  with  which 
the  transformation  was  actually  effected,  under  ordinary 
circumstances,  it  may  be  stated  that  in  one  day  twenty 
carriages  were  sent  into  the  works  in  the  morning,  and 
left  as  Narrow  Gauge  in  the  evening.  Nearly  one- 
third  of  the  Broad  Gauge  coaching  stock  has  been  used 
again.  Of  3269  waggons  only  792  were  converted. 
Most  of  the  remainder  were  broken  up,  and  the  iron 
and  wheels  utilised  where  possible. 

Although  most  of  the  stock  was  sent  to  Swindon 
to  be  converted,  some  of  the  waggons  were  converted  at 


H 

C/3 


O 


The  Final  Conversion.  3 1 1 

Lostwithiel,  Newton  Abbot  and  Bridgewater  —  at 
which  places  the  locomotive  works  of  the  old  Cornwall. 
South  Devon,  and  Bristol  and  Exeter  Railways  were 
respectively  located.  Only  ten  firms  owned  private 
Broad  Gauge  waggons  (a  proof  of  how  completely  the 
Great  Western  had  the  whole  of  the  goods  traffic  on 
its  Broad  Gauge  lines  entirely  in  its  own  hands). 
Some  of  these  firms  engaged  the  Great  Western  Rail- 
way to  convert  their  stock,  while  others  had  theirs 
converted  by  private  waggon  builders.  After  all  the 
convertible  stock  had  been  attended  to,  there  remained 
the  unconvertible  Broad  Gauge  engines  and  vehicles 
to  be  disposed  of,  and  it  was  nearly  eighteen  months 
later  before  the  whole  was  completed.  It  is  stated  that 
the  whole  loss  to  the  company  in  Connection  with  the 
conversion  of  the  rolling  stock  alone  was  ^374,000. 

Soon  after  the  introduction  of  the  Narrow  Gauge 
on  the  Great  Western  Railway  a  driver  of  a  Broad 
Gauge  engine  was  killed  in  an  accident.  His  epitaph 
was  :— 

'  When  Narrow  with  Broad  first  began  to  entwine, 
A  grey-headed  driver  was  killed  on  the  line ; 
His  last  feeble  whisper  was  caught  by  his  mate, 
Thank  God,  'twas  Broad  Gauge  where  I  met  with  my  fate.' 


THE  RESULT  OF  THE  CONVERSION. 

And  now  that  the  conversion  had  been  carried  out, 
the  coal  waggon  gauge  partisans  are  able  to  rub  their 
hands  together,  and  gloat  over  the  fact  that  this 
country  must  now  be  content  that  its  yearly  in- 
creasing volume  of  traffic  must  be  carried  over  the 
miserable  4  feet  8|  inch  gauge. 

What  now  are  the  benefits  or  otherwise  derived 
from  the  abolition  of  the  Broad  Gauge  ?  Have  extra 
trains  been  put  on  to  convey  the  through  traffic  of 
foreign  lines  east  of  Exeter  to  Devonshire  and  Corn- 
wall ?  Have  large  sums  of  money,  formerly  spent  in 


312      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

the  wages  of  'trans-shippers,'  been  saved  by  the  com- 
pany ?  Are  myriads  of  foreign  companies'  and  pri- 
vate owners'  trucks  seen  on  the  South  Devon  and 
Cornwall  lines?  On  the  contrary,  are  not  98  per 
cent,  of  the  vehicles  seen  west  of  Exeter  still  the 
property  of  the  Great  Western  Railway?  Was  it 
worth  all  the  expense  involved  to  make  the  change 
for  2  per  cent,  of  the  traffic  ? 

The  first  appreciable  result  of  the  '  narrowing'  was 
the  almost  immediate  slowing  of  the  West  of  England 
trains — the  'Cornishman'  took  16  minutes  longer, 
the  'Dutchman'  half  an  hour,  the  9  P.M.  mail  25 
minutes;  the  first  up  from  Penzance  15  minutes,  the 
up  '  Cornishman '  20  minutes,  and  the  up  mail  half  an 
hour.  This  was  in  part  explained  by  the  fact  that 
the  Great  Western  had  introduced  the  electric  tablet 
for  working  their  single  lines  in  place  of  the  old 
method  while  in  the  case  of  the  up  and  down  mails, 
which,  both  before  and  after  the  conversion,  stopped 
at  several  stations  en  route,  but  after  the  conversion 
ceased  to  run  into  Mill  Bay,  and  so  saved  at  least 
15  minutes,  yet  this  is  slowed  half  an  hour,  or  in- 
cluding the  saving  at  Mill  Bay,  equal  to  three-quarters 
of  an  hour,  of  which  but  a  few  minutes  can  be  attri- 
buted to  the  tablet  changing.  Since  the  doubling  of 
several  of  the  sections  on  the  South  Devon  and 
Cornwall  lines,  the  '  Cornishman  '  has  been  accelerated. 
A  description  of  the  electric  tablet  system  now  much 
in  vogue  for  working  single  lines  being  of  interest, 
we  shortly  describe  it.  '  Say  "  A  "  and  "  B  "  are  the 
two  boxes  at  the  ends  of  a  section,  and  "  A  "  has  a  train 
he  wishes  to  send  on  to  "  B."  "  A  "  will  forward  the 
"  Be  ready  "  signal  to  "  B."  If  "B"  is  clear  to  receive 
this  train  he  repeats  the  "  Be  ready,"  then  "  A  "  holds 
his  plunger  in  for  "  B  "  to  draw  out  his  empty  slide  in 
which  he  is  to  place  the  tablet  when  it  arrives.  Then 
"  B  "  turns  his  commentator,  and  presses  in  his  plunger 
for  "  A  "  to  obtain  a  tablet,  which  done,  he  puts  it  in  a 
pouch  and  hands  it  to  the  driver  for  the  train  to  proceed 


The  Final  Conversion.  313 

to  "  B."  Arriving  at  "  B  "  the  driver  delivers  the  tablet 
up,  and  "  B  "  puts  it  on  his  empty  slide  and  gives  "train 
out "  to  "A,"  which  "A"  has  to  acknowledge  by  re- 
peating with  the  same  number  of  beats,  holding  his 
plunger  in  till  "  B"  pushes  in  his  slide  containing  the 
tablet.  When  this  is  done  "  B  "  turns  his  commentator, 
presses  his  plunger,  holding  it  well  in  for  "A"  to  push 
his  empty  slide  in.  When  this  is  done  "  A  "  has  to  give 
"  B  "  one  ring  to  let  him  know  he  is  right.' 

The  introduction  of  corridor  trains  for  all  classes 
of  passengers  is  a  recent  innovation,  and  the  Great 
Western  Railway  run  eight  per  day  as  follows  :— 
those  leaving  Paddington  at  10.15  A.M.  for  Plymouth 
and  Penzance,  at  11.25  for  Torquay,  at  1.30  for  Bir- 
mingham and  Birkenhead,  and  at  5^-15  for  Cardiff  and 
Swansea ;  also  those  arriving  at  Paddington  at  2.35 
P.M.  from  Swansea  and  Cardiff,  at  4.30  P.M.  from  Tor- 
quay, at  7.45  P.M.  from  Cornwall  and  Plymouth,  and 
at  8.40  P.M.  from  Birkenhead  and  Birmingham.  But 
how  much  better  would  the  Broad  Gauge  have  lent 
itself  for  corridor  trains  ?  with  a  passage  down  the 
centre,  instead  of  at  the  side  as  now. 

The  Great  Western  Railway  corridor  trains  are 
the  only  '  three  class '  corridor  trains  running  in  the 
country.  The  lavatory  accommodation  has  been  ar- 
ranged neatly  and  economically.  The  carriages  are, 
with  the  single  exception  of  the  third  class,  which  are 
only  52  feet  |-  inch,  all  56  feet  f-  inch  long  over  the 
mouldings,  and  all  of  them  are  8  feet  6f-  inches  wide 
outside.  The  clear  width  inside  is  8  feet  and  the  coc- 
ridors  are  22^-  inches  wide.  The  classes  are  divided 
by  means  of  doors  in  the  corridors  fitted  with  private 
locks.  There  is  seating  accommodation  in  the  train 
proper  for  seventy-six  third-class,  twenty-two  first- 
class,  and  twenty-four  second-class  passengers,  and  each 
of  the  two  composite  carriages  provides  accommodation 
for  twenty-four  third  class,  eleven  first-class,  and  seven 
second-class  passengers,  so  that  the  total  accommodation 
provided  by  the  whole  train  is  224  third-class,  forty-four 


314     'A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

first-class,  and  thirty-eight  second-class  seats.  The 
carriages  have  the  usual  lantern  roof  of  the  Great 
Western  stock,  and  run  on  the  standard  Great  Western 
bogies  and  underframes,  thus  the  two  great  desiderata 
of  railway  carriages,  and  for  which  the  Great  Western 
is  famous,  namely,  ventilation  and  smooth  travelling, 
are  as  complete  as  possible.  The  coaches  are  finished 
in  dark  oak  with  Lincrusta  panels.  The  first-class  are 
upholstered  with  crimson  plush  and  the  second  and  third- 
class  compartments  with  rep  of  the  standard  Great 
Western  Railway  patterns. 

The  weight  of  the  coaches  varies  from  22  tons  10 
cwt.  to  nearly  24  tons,  according  to  class. 

Amongst  some  of  the  ills  of  the  present  state  of 
things  may  be  mentioned  several  breakdowns  that 
have  happened  to  the  new  engines,  principally  the 
snapping  of  the  axles — trains  running  off  the  lines— 
scarcely  possible  with  the  original  longitudinal  sleepers 
— the  abolition  of  which  the  Chairman  of  the  Great 
Western  was  deploring  as  late  as  August  1894,  more 
especially  as  the  alteration  is  still  costing  the  share- 
holders an  unnecessary  outlay  of  about  ,£60,000  a  year.* 
The  really  enormous  monetary  outlay  involved  in  the 
abolition  of  the  Broad  Gauge  and  other  alterations  and 
improvements  rendered  necessary  in  consequence  will 
never  be  definitely  known,  the  expense  having  been 
subdivided  under  so  many  heads,  and  spread  over  a 
long  period,  but  the  yearly  interest  on  the  money  thus 
sunk  would  have  been  more  than  sufficient  to  pay  all 
the  extra  expenses  incurred  annually  by  the  Great 
Western  Railway  consequent  upon  having  two  gauges. 
Would  it  not  have  been  cheaper,  more  convenient 
and  better  in  every  way  to  have  mixed  the  gauge 
over  the  whole  system  ?  While  the  punctuality  of  the 
trains  has  certainly  not  improved  since  the  alteration, 
although  some  of  the  single  sections  on  the  South 

*  For  the  half-year  to  December  1894,  .£37,766  was  expended 
on  relaying  parts  of  the  converted  lines,  and  the  Deputy  Chairman 
said  the  expense  would  be  spread  over  several  more  years. 


The  Final  Conversion.  3 1 5 

Devon  and  Cornwall  lines  have  been  doubled,  and 
many  of  the  weak  viaducts  have  been  substantially  re- 
built, both  of  which  improvements  ought  at  least  to 
tend  to  increased  punctuality,  and  had  these  works 
been  carried  out  when  the  Broad  Gauge  was  in  exist- 
ence, the  result  then  would  have  been  increased  speed. 
The  West  Country  people  are  conservative  and 
sentimental,  and  cling  tenaciously  to  anything  to  which 
they  have  been  attached,  especially  if  it  has  done  them 
good  service.  As  the  Broad  Gauge  gave  them  rail- 
ways, and  good  ones  too,  with  liberal  services  and 
quick  trains,  when  the  Narrow  Gauge  was  faraway,  and 
not  likely  to  reach  them  for  many  years,  so  the  Broad 
Gauge  was  always  popular  with  them,  and  they  looked 
upon  it  as  something  apart ;  and  when  other  parts  of 
the  Great  Western  system  had  been  converted  or  mixed, 
and  the  Broad  Gauge  was  left  to  Devon  and  Cornwall 
only,  they  looked  upon  it  as  a  system  peculiarly  their 
own,  indeed  outsiders  began  to  think  of  it  as  belonging 
solely  and  only  to  the  West  of  England,  while  in  Corn- 
wall the  Great  Western  Railway  was  looked  upon  with 
gratitude,  and  was  thanked  for  their  liberality  in  that, 
when  other  railways  could  not  construct  or  work 
lines  in  consequence  of  the  unproductive  value  of  the 
traffic,  the  Great  Western  took  them  over  and  gave 
the  country  the  benefit  of  its  immense  system.  But 
although  the  generation  directly  concerned  in  these 
advantages  bestowed  on  them  by  the  Great  Western 
Railway  has  passed  away,  yet  the  Broad  Gauge  vividly 
reminded  the  Cornwall  folks  of  their  indebtedness  to 
the  Great  Western.  This  gone,  the  people,  with  their 
native  sharpness,  were  not  slow  in  taking  advantage  of 
the  benefits  to  be  derived  by  them  from  the  active 
competition  of  two  railways,  although  they  well  know 
there  is  not  sufficient  traffic  to  make  both  lines  remun- 
erative ;  in  fact,  the  Chairman  of  the  Great  Western 
Railway  has  publicly  said  that  the  West  Cornwall  does 
not  pay  expenses,  let  alone  gain  any  profit  to  the  Great 
Western,  yet  '  one  and  all '  are  sharp  enough  to  en- 


316      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

courage  another  line  for  the  sake  of  the  benefits  they 
will  receive  thereby.  How  much  the  Cornishmen  will 
invest  in  the  line  is  an  entirely  different  matter. 

The  London  and  South  Western  Railway  entered 
into  a  compact  with  the  Great  Western  that  they 
would  not  promote  any  railway  or  extend  their  system 
into  Cornwall.  This  ten  years'  agreement  expired  last 
year,  but  the  arrangement  has  not  prevented  the  North 
Cornwall  Railway — a  so-called  independent  company, 
but  most  closely  connected  with  and  worked  by  the 
London  and  South  Western  Railway — from  construct- 
ing a  line  from  the  London  and  South  Western  Rail- 

c* 

way  at  Haswell  to  Padstow,  a  distance  of  50  miles, 
and  obtaining  Parliamentary  sanction  to  extend  it  to 
Newquay.  While  in  the  1894  Session  the  North 
Cornwall  Railway  promoted  a  Bill  for  power  to  con- 
struct a  line  from  Newquay  to  Truro,  12  miles  long, 
with  running  powers  over  the  Great  Western  to  Fal- 
mouth  and  Penzance.  The  Cornwall  Minerals  Rail- 
way also  promoted  a  similar  line,  not  because  one  was 
wanted  or  would  pay,  but  to  protect  their  own  system. 
This  latter  received  the  assent  of  the  House  of  Lords, 
but  the  House  of  Commons  threw  it  out  on  the  ground 
that  it  was  strengthening  the  monopoly  of  the  Great 
Western  Railway  in  Cornwall,  and,  if  the  line  was 
made,  it  should  be  by  an  independent  company.  The 
result  is,  a  line  won't  be  made  just  yet.  The  Cornish 
folks,  in  supporting  competition,  have  overreached 
themselves,  and  lost  the  benefit  the  Cornwall  Minerals 
Railway  was  willing  to  give  them. 

In  conclusion,  we  extract  from  an  article  in  a  rail- 
way paper,  written  by  a  London  and  South  Western 
Railway  official.  His  opinion  is  worth  considering, 
seeing  that  that  line  is  in  competition  with  the  Great 
Western,  and  he  would  have  opportunities  of  comparing 
the  two  systems,  while  natural  esprit  de  corps  would  not 
allow  him  to  unduly  depreciate  his  own  line  : — '  I  con- 
sider myself  that  the  Broad  Gauge  is  capable  of  great 
things,  and  I  am  only  sorry  to  think  that,  in  the  interest 


The  Final  Conversion.  317 

of  railway  passengers,  it  has  not  become  universal  in 
{*  preference  to  the  Narrow  Gauge.  At  the  present  time, 
when  traffic  is  so  greatly  on  the  increase,  and  the 
demand  for  improved  carriages  is  heard  on  every  side, 
the  extra  width  of  the  Broad  Gauge  coaches  would 
have  been  found  of  great  advantage,  and  I  think  the 
carrying  capacity  of  railway  rolling  stock  might  be 
better  increased  by  having  more  room  in  the  width 
rather  than  length  of  the  coaches.  I  maintain,  there- 
fore, that  a  broader  gauge  would  prove  more  econo- 
mical in  the  long  run,  as  it  is  certainly  much  more 
comfortable,  and  it  offers  facilities,  under  an  enterpris- 
ing- management,  for  the  construction  of  cars  of  the 

• 

American  principle,  which  the  Narrow  Gauge  cannot 
approach.  I  quite  think  that  if  a  more  go-ahead 
company  had  had  the  management  of  the  Broad 
Gauge  track,  they  would  not  now  be  on  the  point  of 
abolishing  it  altogether.  I  have  met  with  and  spoken 
to  a  great  many  travellers  in  my  time,  and  I  have  in- 
variably heard  from  them  that  the  Broad  Gauge  is  far 
and  away  the  most  comfortable  carriage  to  ride  in,  and 
1  am  sure  numbers  regret  its  abolition.  The  Midland 
is,  I  think,  the  company  that  would  have  given  the 
Broad  Gauge  a  trial,  but  any  of  the  northern  lines 
would  have  done  it  more  justice  than  that  sleepy 
giant,  the  Great  Western  Railway.' 

Punch  lamented  the  abolition  of  Brunei's  gauge 
by  a  poem  written  in  imitation  of  '  The  Burial  of  Sir 
John  Moore,'  and  with  a  cartoon  representing  a  Broad 
Gauge  engine  being  buried,  with  the  shades  of  Brunei 
and  the  other  Broad  Gauge  leaders  looking  on. 


'THE  BURIAL  OF  THE  "BROAD  GAUGE" 
May  23,  1892. 

NOT  a  whistle  was  heard,  not  a  brass  bell  note, 

As  his  corse  o'er  the  sleepers  we  hurried ; 

Not  a  fog-signal  wailed  from  a  husky  throat 

O'er  the  grave  where  our  "  Broad  Gauge  "  we  buried. 


318      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

We  buried  him  darkly,  at  dead  of  night, 
The  sod  with  our  pickaxes  turning, 
By  the  danger  signal's  ruddy  light, 
And  our  oil  lamps  dimly  burning. 

No  useless  tears,  though  we  loved  him  well ! 
Long  years  to  his  fire-box  had  bound  us. 
We  fancied  we  glimpsed  the  great  shade  of  Brunei 
In  sad  sympathy  hovering  round  us. 

Few  and  gruff  were  the  words  we  said, 

But  we  thought,  with  a  natural  sorrow, 

Of  the  Narrow  Gauge  foe  of  the  loco,  just  dead 

We  should  have  to  attend  on  the  morrow. 

We  thought,  as  we  hollowed  his  big  broad  bed, 

And  piled  the  brown  earth  o'er  his  funnel, 

How  his  foe  o'er  the  Great  Western  metals  would  tread, 

Shrieking  triumph  through  cutting  and  tunnel. 

Lightly  they'll  talk  of  him  now  he  is  gone, 
For  the  cheap  Narrow  Gauge  has  outstayed  him  ; 
Yet  Bull  might  have  found,  had  he  let  it  go  on, 
That  Brunei's  Big  Idea  would  have  paid  him. 

But  the  battle  is  ended,  our  task  is  done, 
After  forty  years'  fight  he's  retiring ; 
This  hour  sees  thy  triumph,  O  Stephenson  ! — 
Old  "  Broad  Gauge  "  no  more  will  need  firing. 

The  "  Dutchman"  must  now  be  "divided  in  two"- 
Well,  well,  they  sha'n't  mangle  or  mess  you  ! 
Accept  the  last  words  of  friends  faithful,  if  few  : — 
"  Good-bye,  poor  old  '  Broad  Gauge,'  God  bless  you  ! " 

Slowly  and  sadly  we  laid  him  down ; 

He  has  filled  a  great  chapter  in  story. 

We  sang  not  a  dirge,  we  raised  not  a  stone, 

But  we  left  the  "  Broad  Gauge  "  to  his  glory  ! ' 

A  clever  acrostic  appeared  in  a  railway  paper  at 
the  time  of  the  conversion,  which  we  append,— 

'  Brunei's  pet  lamb  is  doomed,  and  soon  will  surely  die — 
Relentless  outstretched  hands  upon  its  head  do  lie ; 
O'er  all  the  world  it  has  a  famous  name  achieved  : 
Adieu  !  the  end  has  come,  and  'tis  by  many  grieved. 
Down  by  the  rocks  'twas  reared,  and  grew  a  noble  form — 


The  Final  Conversion.  319 

Great  Western  Railway  men  know  how  it  braved  the  storm. 

A  rival  bold  and  strong  put  forth  its  claim  to  stand, 

Upon  the  lamb's  own  ground  to  fix  its  iron  band. 

Grand  efforts  men  have  made  to  stay  this  giant's  tread ; 

Each  struggle  fainter  grew — and  now  "  Broad  Gauge  "  is  dead  ! ' 

We  have  pointed  out  some  of  the  disadvantages  of 
the  change  of  gauge,  and  have  sought  in  vain  for  some 
of  the  advantages  ;  but,  no  doubt,  others  can  see  them 
clearly,  and  will  not  be  at  all  backward  in  introducing 
them  to  both  the  reader's  and  the  writer's  notice. 


CHAPTER     XXI. 

CONCLUSION. 

As  a  conclusion  to  this  attempt  to  give  an  account  of 
the  Broad  Gauge  portion  of  the  Great  Western  Rail- 
way from  its  inception  to  the  present  day  (a  task 
involving  no  small  amount  of  research  and  labour), 
we  append  the  following  statistical  information,  ex- 
tracted from  the  official  report  of  the  Directors 
for  the  half-year  ending  3Oth  June  1894,  and  pre- 
sented to  the  shareholders  at  the  One  hundred  and 
eighteenth  half-yearly  meeting.  As  to  whether  the 
Great  Western  is  the  leading  railway  is  a  moot  point. 
Some  authorities  assign  the  premier  position  to  the 
Great  Western,  and  others  to  the  London  and  North 
Western,  while  all  agree  in  placing  the  Midland  third. 
At  all  events  the  Great  Western  is  first  in  the  number 
of  miles  worked,  although  much  of  it  is  single  track  ;  it 
is  second  with  regard  to  receipts  from  passenger  traffic, 
and  third  in  the  amount  of  capital — the  London  and 
North  Western  and  Midland  being  first  and  second 
respectively.  In  the  matter  of  total  income,  the 
London  and  North  Western  is  again  first,  while  the 
Great  Western  and  Midland  both  run  very  close  for 
second  place. 

CAPITAL  RECEIVED. 


Shares  and  Stocks,    . 
Loans,      .... 
Debenture  Stock, 
Rent  Charges,  . 
Stratford  Canal  Annuities, 
Premium  on  Stocks  and  Shares, 


;£59>°59>493     °  ° 

2,350     o  o 

18,120,884     o  o 

53,700  10  o 

58,750     °  o 

4,314,670     7  7 


Total  Capital  received,         .  ^81,609,847  17     7 
320 


Conclusion.  321 

f 

CAPITAL  EXPENDITURE, 

Lines  open  for  traffic,        .         .         .  ^67,929,662     9     o 
Lines  in  course  of  construction,          .  96,050     2     4 

Working  Stock,  ....  10,010.081  15  3 
Subscriptions  to  other  railways,  viz., 
Abbotsbury,  Alexandra  (New- 
port) Dock,  Bala  and  Festiniog, 
Corwen  and  Bala,  Great  Marlow, 
Limerick  and  Kerry,  Marl- 
borough,  Oldbury,  Princetown, 
Somersetshire  Coal,  Somerset 
and  Dorset,  Staines  and  West 
Drayton,  Swindon  Water  Works, 
Tiverton  and  North  Devon, 
Waterford  and  Central  Ireland, 
Waterford,  Dungarven  and  Lis- 
niore,  and  West  London  Exten- 
sion Railways,  ....  758,069  6  7 

Docks, '  648,837     o     i 

Steamboats,      .....  346,056     7     i 

Leased  Lines,  .....  59^09     6     i 

Canals, 748,091     8     o 

Joint   Lines,  Debentures  paid  off  or 

Debts  assumed,          .         .        .  471,800     o     o 


Total  expenditure  of  Capital,      .  ^81,068,457   14     5 


MILEAGE  STATEMENT. 

Lines  owned  by  Great  Western  Railway,      .  .  1925! 

Lines  partly  owned  by  Great  Western  Railway,  .  192 

Lines  leased,  rented  or  worked  over,    .         .  .  488^ 

Foreign  lines  worked  over,           .         .         .  .  85 


Total  Miles  worked  by  Great  Western  Railway,    .       2691 


TRAIN  MILES  RUN  DURING  HALF-YEAR. 
Passenger,  .......         9,247,662 

Goods  and  Minerals,    .....         9,405,715 


Total,         .       18,653,377 


ROLLING  STOCK. 

Engines,    1710;     Tenders,    873;    Royal   Carriages,    3; 
First-Class   Carriages,    228;    Composites,    1067;    Second- 


322      A  History  of  the  Great  Western  Railway. 

Class,  175;  Third-Class,  2288;  Brake  Parcel  and  Mail 
Vans,  979;  Carnage  Trucks,  351;  Horse  Boxes,  565. 
Total  Coaching  Vehicles^  5656. 

Merchandise  and  Minerals. — Open  Waggons,  31,525; 
Covered  Waggons,  6034;  Coke  Trucks,  2322;  Cattle 
Trucks,  1930;  Timber  Trucks,  2410;  Brake  Vans,  1139; 
Pilot  Vans,  8  ;  Permanent  Way  Trucks,  1436.  Total  Goods 
Vehicles^  46,804. 

RECEIPTS  (6  MONTHS). 

Passengers,  Parcels  and  Mails,  .  .  .  ^1,908,353 
Merchandise,  Live  Stock,  etc.,  .  .  .  1,275,366 
Minerals,  .......  1,142,830 


Total,         .     ^4,32^549 


EXPENDITURE  (6  MONTHS). 

Maintenance  of  Way,        .....  ^£516,654 

Locomotive  and  Carriage  Stock,        .         .         .  869,642 

Traffic  and  General  Charges,     ....  889,107 

Government  Duty,  Rates  and  Taxes,          .         .  169,193 


Total,         .         ,£2,444,596 


Total      Profit     for     Half-year    from      all 

sources,    .         ,         .         .         .       ;£i,999>302     7     9 


PASSENGERS  CARRIED  IN  6  MONTHS. 

First-Class,  694,190      producing      ^"118,931   17     5 

Second-Class      2,241,573  „  131,850     6     5 

Third-Class,     27,700,731  „  1,224,906     o     5 

Total       30,636,494 


20,019  Season  Tickets  produced         .  67,244  u     4 

^1,542,932  15     7 


During  the  half-year  the  Great  Western  Railway 
paid  to  forty-two  other  railways  for  rent  of  leased  lines, 
etc.,  .£143,332,  43.  9d.  The  companies  were,  Abbots- 


Conclusion.  323 

bury,  Abingdon,  Bala  and  Festiniog,  Banbury  and 
Cheltenham,  Birkenhead,  Birmingham  and  Henley-in- 
Arden,  Bridport,  Buckfastleigh,  Totnes  and  South 
Devon,  Cornwall  Minerals,  Corwen  and  Bala,  Devon 
and  Somerset,  Didcot,  Newbury  and  Southampton,  Ely 
Valley,  Forest  of  Dean  Central,  Halesowen,  Hammer- 
smith and  City,  Helston,  Herefordshire  and  Gloucester- 
shire Canal  Company,  Kington  and  Eardisley,  Leo- 
minster  and  Kington,  Llangollen  and  Corwen,  Marl- 
borough,  Milford,  Minehead,  Nantwich  and  Market 
Drayton,  Oldbury,  Princetown,  Ross  and  Monmouth, 
Shewsbury  and  Hereford  (including  Tenbury),  Shews- 
bury  and  Welspool,  Staines  and  West  Drayton,  Teign 
Valley,  Tiverton  and  North  Devon,  Vale  of  Llangollen, 
Vale  of  Towy,  Victoria  Station  and  Pimlico,  Wenlock 
and  Wenlock  Extensions,  West  Cornwall,  West 
London,  West  Somerset,  Weymouth  and  Portland, 
and  Wye  Valley.  This  list  does  not  include  the  many 
railways  formerly  independent,  but  now  amalgamated 
with  the  Great  Western  '  Railway.  All  those  men- 
tioned above  are  still  semi-independent  companies. 

These  extracts  from  the  report  will  show  the  im- 
portant position  held  by  the  Great  Western  Railway 
in  the  railway  systems  of  the  world. 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX  A. 

REPORT  OF  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY  DIRECTORS  TO 
SHAREHOLDERS  IN  FAVOUR  OF  THE  CONTINUANCE 
OF  THE  BROAD  GAUGE. 

DECEMBER  1838. 

'  IT  may  be  here  concisely  stated  that  Mr  Wood  deduces 
from  experiments  upon  the  performance  of  engines  on  the 
Great  Western  and  other  lines  that,  although  a  higher  rate  of 
speed  has  been  attained  on  the  former,  it  would  appear  only 
to  be  accomplished  by  the  increased  power  of  the  engines, 
with  a  much  greater  consumption  of  coke  when  calculated 
per  ton  per  mile.  He  ascribes  this  result  principally  to  the 
resistance  presented  by  the  atmosphere  to  the  motion  of 
railway  trains,  especially  at  high  rates  of  speed.  His  re- 
marks on  that  subject  are  qualified,  however,  by  the  expres- 
sion of  a  doubt  as  to  the  value  to  be  assigned  to  the  single  set 
of  experiments  of  each  of  two  inclined  planes,  which  are 
quoted  as  the  authority  for  the  degree  of  atmospheric  resist- 
ance supposed  to  have  been  discovered.  The  reduction  of 
friction  by  the  employment  of  wheels  of  increased  diameter, 
and  the  benefit  of  lowering  the  carnages  between  the  wheels, 
are  affirmed  by  Mr  Wood  as  incontrovertible.  The  increased 
stability,  and  consequent  increased  steadiness  of  motion  to 
carriages  on  the  wider  base  are  also  admitted  by  him. 

The  various  propositions  of  doubtful  advantage  from  the 
wide  gauge,  as  well  as  of  alleged  objection  to  it,  appear  to 
have  been  thoroughly  considered  in  the  Report  in  question. 
The  experiments  on  the  consumption  of  coke  at  high  veloci- 
ties were  unfavourable,  and,  in  connection  with  the  theory  of 
atmospheric  resistance,  appear  to  have  influenced  the  mind  of 
Mr  Wood  to  consider  that  a  7  feet  gauge  was  beyond  the 
width  which  he  would  deem  the  best.  At  the  same  time, 


326  Appendix. 

upon  a  review  of  all  the  circumstances,  and  considering  that 
there  are  counteracting  advantages  incidental  to  an  increased 
width  of  gauge,  he  does  not  think  that  the  result  of  his 
inquiries  would  justify  a  change  in  the  dimensions  adopted 
on  this  line,  and  he  recommends  the  present  width  should  be 
retained.  The  advice  thus  given  by  Mr  Wood,  upon  mature 
reflection,  being  directly  at  variance  with  the  conclusion  at 
which  Mr  Hawkshaw  had  previously  arrived  upon  an  investi- 
gation similarly  delegated  to  him,  it  became  the  duty  of  the 
Directors  to  consider  most  attentively  the  train  of  reasoning 
and  argument  which  led  the  latter  to  urge  such  an  opposite 
course.  Naturally  expecting  from  that  circumstance  to  find 
in  his  Report  a  clear  and  definite  statement  of  the  positive 
loss  or  disadvantages  accruing  from  the  increased  width  of 
gauge,  the  Directors  could  not  fail  to  remark  with  some 
surprise  that  he  enforces  his  recommendation,  not  upon  any 
ascertained  injury  or  failure  in  the  plan,  but  almost  exclu- 
sively upon  the  presumption  that  all  railways,  however  dis- 
connected or  locally  situated,  should  be  constructed  of  one 
uniform  width.  While  he  appears  to  think  that  it  might  be 
an  improvement  to  have  an  addition  of  a  few  inches,  5  or 
6  at  the  most,  he  still  questions  the  expediency  of  any 
variation  from  the  4  feet  8£  inch  gauge.  Mr  Hawkshaw, 
in  his  Report,  also  considers  any  additional  expense  upon  the 
gauge,  as  well  as  upon  the  improvement  of  gradients,  to  be 
undesirable,  and  assumes  it  at  a  scale  of  augmentation  far 
beyond  the  real  difference  of  cost. 

His  estimates  on  that  head  are  impeached  in  the  engineer's 
observations,  and  no  doubt  exists  in  the  minds  of  the  Directors, 
that  the  subject,  reduced  to  a  mere  question  of  figures,  in 
its  present  position,  would  undeniably  show  a  pecuniary  loss 
to  be  borne  by  the  Company  by  any  such  change  of  system 
as  he  advocates,  even  if  it  were  on  other  grounds  deemed 
advisable.  The  objection  that  the  wide  gauge  might  pre- 
vent a  junction  with  other  lines  seems  both  to  Mr  Wood 
and  the  Directors  to  have  but  little  weight,  as  applied  to 
the  Great  Western  Railway.  Already  has  the  same  width 
been  contemplated  and  provided  for  in  the  extension  lines 
through  Gloucestershire  to  Cheltenham,  and  from  Bristol  to 
Exeter.  Any  local  branches  hereafter  to  be  made  would 
undoubtedly  follow  the  same  course,  and  the  proprietors 
therefore,  may  be  satisfied  that  no  apprehension  need  be 
entertained  by  them  on  that  head. 

The   advantage  of  following   Mr  Wood's   advice,  in   not 
making  any  alteration   in  the  width  of  way,  has  been  since 


Appendix.  327 

most  forcibly  shown  by  more  recent  experiments,  which 
have  entirely  changed  the  results  upon  which  the  chief 
objections  to  the  gauge  were  founded.  The  performance 
of  the  engines,  shown  by  Mr  Wood's  experiments  in 
September,  gave  such  a  disproportionate  result  in  their 
power  upon  the  attainment  of  high  velocities  as  to  render 
it  all  but  impossible  that  the  effect  could  be  entirely  pro- 
duced by  the  action  of  the  atmosphere  on  the  trains.  All 
doubts  were  shortly  removed  by  its  being  ascertained  that 
a  different  cause  (a  mere  mechanical  defect  in  the  engine 
itself)  had  been  in  operation.  If  Mr  Wood  has  witnessed 
these  recent  performances  of  the  engines,  he  must  unques- 
tionably have  changed  his  opinions  as  to  the  means  and 
practicability  of  carrying  full  average  loads  at  a  high  speed, 
without  the  great  increased  expense  of  fuel.  The  Directors 
have  satisfied  themselves  of  this  very  important  fact,  by  person- 
ally attending  an  experiment  (accompanied  by  several  gentle- 
men, among  whom  was  a  very  eminent  practical  mechanic), 
on  which  occasion  the  '  North  Star '  took  a  train  of  carriages, 
calculated  for  166  passengers,  and  loaded  to  43  tons,  to 
and  from  Maidenhead,  at  a  mean  average  speed  of  38  miles 
per  hour,  the  maximum  being  45  miles  per  hour,  consuming 
only  0.95,  or  less  than  I  Ib.  of  coke  per  net  ton  per  mile 
instead  of  2.76,  say  2f  Ibs.,  as  previously  shown.  This  was 
accomplished  by  a  mere  altered  proportion  in  the  blast  pipe 
of  the  engine,  in  the  manner  explained  by  Mr  Brunei,  being 
a  simple  adaptation  of  size  in  one  of  the  parts,  which  admits 
of  a  more  free  escape  of  steam  from  the  cylinder  after  it 
has  exerted  its  force  on  the  piston,  still  preserving  sufficient 
draft  in  the  fire. 

It  must  be  almost  needless  to  point  out  to  those  who 
have  perused  the  reports  how  importantly  this  change  bears 
upon  the  subject  in  almost  every  relation  of  the  inquiry. 
It  negatives  the  assumption  that  the  velocity  can  only  be 
attained  by  a  ruinous  loss  of  power.  It  establishes  beyond 
doubt  that  the  consumption  of  fuel,  as  now  ascertained,  in 
proportion  to  the  load,  is  only  one-third  of  that  which  from 
the  former  experiments  had  been  the  basis  of  Mr  Wood's 
arguments.  An  analysis  in  the  Report  of  the  performance 
of  the  Great  Western  engines,  with  heavy  loads,  varying 
from  80  tons  to  166  tons,  shows  in  every  respect  a  peculiarly 
satisfactory  result  at  a  small  cost  of  fuel,  and  warrants 
the  expectation  of  very  great  benefit  to  the  Company  from 
the  economical  transport  of  goods  on  the  line.  That  the 
expenses  of  locomotive  repairs,  especially  on  that  heavy 


328  Appendix. 

class  of  repair  which  arise  from  lateral  strains  on  the  wheels 
and  framing  of  the  engines,  have  been  materially  less  than 
on  other  lines,  is  ascertained  by  very  detailed  accounts, 
accurately  made  and  submitted  to  the  Board  by  the  super- 
intendent of  that  department.  The  experience  of  some 
months  has  now  enabled  the  Directors  to  witness  the  pro- 
gressive improvement  in  the  practical  working  of  the  rail- 
way. A  higher  rate  of  speed  has  been  generally  maintained 
than  on  other  lines,  and  at  the  same  time,  with  that  increased 
speed,  great  steadiness  of  motion  has  been  found  in  the 
carriages,  with  consequent  comfort  to  the  passengers.  If 
speed,  security  and  comfort  were  three  great  desiderata  in 
the  original  institution  of  railway  travelling,  the  Directors 
feel  sure  that  the  public  will  appreciate  and  profit  by  any 
improvements  in  those  qualities,  the  Company  deriving  ample 
remuneration  in  the  shape  of  increased  traffic.  A  saving 
of  time  upon  a  long  journey,  with  increased  comfort,  will 
necessarily  attract  to  one  line,  in  preference  to  another, 
many  travellers  from  beyond  the  ordinary  distance  of  local 
connection,  and  will  thus  secure  a  valuable  collateral  trade 
which  would  not  otherwise  belong  to  it  It  has  also  a 
decided  tendency  to  avert  competition,  which  may,  with 
much  reason,  be  regarded  as  the  chief  peril  to  which  railway 
property  is  subjected.  The  Directors,  upon  a  deliberate 
reconsideration  of  all  the  circumstances  affecting  the  per- 
manent welfare  of  the  undertaking,  divesting  the  question 
of  all  personal  partialities  or  obstinate  adherence  to  a  system, 
unanimously  acquiesce  in  the  abandonment  of  the  piles,  in 
the  substitution  of  a  greater  scantling  of  timber,  and  of  a 
heavier  rail,  retaining  the  width  of  gauge,  with  the  continuous 
timber  bearings,  as  the  most  conducive  to  the  general  interests 
of  the  Company. 


APPENDIX     B. 

REPORT   OF   THE   GAUGE   COMMISSIONERS. 

MAY  it  please  your  Majesty, — We,  the  Commissioners  ap- 
pointed by  writ,  under  your  Majesty's  Privy  Seal,  bearing 
date  the  nth  of  July,  in  the  ninth  year  of  your  Majesty's 
reign,  to  inquire  whether  in  future  private  Acts  of  Parliament 
for  the  construction  of  railways,  provision  ought  to  be  made 
for  securing  an  uniform  gauge,  and  whether  it  would  be  ex- 
pedient and  practicable  to  take  measures  to  bring  the  rail- 
ways already  constructed,  or  in  progress  of  construction,  in 
Great  Britain,  into  uniformity  of  gauge,  and  to  inquire  whether 
any  other  mode  could  be  adopted  of  obviating  or  mitigating 
the  evil  apprehended  as  likely  to  arise  from  the  break  that 
will  occur  in  railway  communications  from  the  want  of  an 
uniform  gauge,  beg  dutifully  to  submit,  that  we  have  called 
before  us  such  persons  as  we  have  judged  to  be,  by  reason  of 
their  situation,  knowledge,  or  experience,  the  most  competent 
to  afford  us  correct  information  on  the  subject  of  this  inquiry, 
and  we  have  required  the  production  of  such  books  and 
documents,  from  the  various  railway  companies,  as  appear  to 
us  to  be  the  best  calculated  to  aid  our  researches.  We  have 
personally  examined  into  the  usual  course  of  proceeding  on 
various  railways  both  at  home  and  abroad,  especially  those 
which  are  incident  to  a  break,  or  interruption  of  gauge  ;  and 
we  have  personally  inspected  several  locomotive  engines,  as 
well  as  mechanical  contrivances  invented,  either  for  the 
general  use  of  railways,  or  for  obviating  the  special  difficulties 
presumed  to  arise  from  the  break  of  gauge,  or  otherwise  con- 
nected with  the  subject  of  our  inquiry  ;  and  as  we  believe  we 
have  now  carried  our  investigation  to  the  utmost  useful  limits, 
we  feel  in  a  position  dutifully  to  offer  to  your  Majesty  the 
following  Report  :— 

Section  I.  ON  THE  BREAK  OF  GAUGE. — Our  attention 
was  first  directed  to  ascertain  whether  the  break  of  gauge 
could  be  justly  considered  as  an  inconvenience  of  such  im- 
portance as  to  demand  the  interference  of  the  Legislature. 
Gloucester  is  the  only  place  where  a  break  of  gauge  actually 

329 


330  Appendix. 

exists  at  the  present  time.  It  is  caused  by  the  meeting  at 
that  place  of  the  Broad  or  7  feet  gauge  with  the  Narrow  or  4 
feet  8£  inch  gauge.  There  are  other  points,  however,  where 
a  transfer  of  goods  occurs  similar  to  that  which  must  result 
from  a  break  of  gauge,  and  persons  well  acquainted  with 
railway  traffic  have  no  difficulty  in  foreseeing  the  nature  of  the 
inconvenience  that  would  arise  from  any  further  intermixture 
of  gauge  ;  and  we  humbly  submit  the  observations  that  occur 
to  us  as  to  the  whole  of  this  important  part  of  the  question. 

We  will  divide  the  subject  of  the  break  of  gauge  under  the 
following  heads : — 

1.  Fast  or  Express  Trains. — We  believe  that  the  incon- 
venience produced  by  a  break  of  gauge  will,  in  some  respects, 
be   less   felt   in    these   than    in    other    trains,    because    the 
passengers  travelling  by  fast  trains  are  usually  of  a  class  who 
readily  submit  to  many  inconveniences  for  the  sake  of  increased 
speed  on  the  journey,  and  who  are  perhaps  generally  less 
encumbered   with   luggage   than    persons   travelling  by   the 
slower  trains  ;    and  as  it  is  understood   to   be  the   general 
practice  that  no  private  carriages  or  horses  are  conveyed  by 
these   trains,   the   inconveniences  of  a  break  of   gauge   are 
reduced  in  this  instance  to  the  removal  of  the  passengers  and 
a  moderate  quantity  of  luggage ;  and  although  such  removal 
must  create  delay  and  some  confusion,  as  well  as  personal 
discomfort,  especially   at   night   and    in    the   winter   season, 
besides  the  risk  of  a  loss  of  luggage,  yet  we  do  not  consider 
the  break  of  gauge,  in  this  instance,  as  being  an  inconvenience 
of  so  grave  a  nature  as  to  call  for  any  legislative  measures, 
either  for  its  removal  or  for  its  mitigation. 

2.  Ordinary   or    Mixed    Trains. — In    these    trains    the 
passengers  considerably  exceed  in  number  those  who  travel 
by  the  fast  trains,  and  they  have  generally  a  much  greater 
quantity  of  luggage.     To  such  travellers  a  change  of  carriage 
is  really  a  serious  inconvenience,  and  it  is  a  well  known  fact, 
that  persons  travelling  by  railways  in  communication    with 
each  other,  but  under  different  managements,  endeavour  to 
make  such  arrangements  as  to  admit  of  their  travelling   by 
those    trains    which    afford    them    the    accommodation    of 
occupying  the  same  carriage  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  their  journey.     The  managers  and  directors  of  railways 
are  well  aware  of  this  feeling,  and  in  some  instances  where 
they  do  not  allow  their  carriages  to  run  through,  yet  with  a 
view   of  diminishing   the  inconvenience  to   which   this   ex- 
poses  their    passengers,    they    send    a    luggage    van    from 
terminus  to  terminus,  to  prevent  the  evil  of  a  removal   of 


Appendix.  331 

the  passengers'  luggage  ;  and  some  railway  companies  incur 
considerable  expense  in  running  trains  of  return  empty 
carriages,  in  order  to  accommodate  the  public  by  enabling 
travellers  to  avoid  a  change  of  carriage  on  the  journey.  It  is 
by  the  ordinary  or  mixed  trains  that  private  carriages  and 
horses  are  conveyed,  and  the  removal  of  either  from  one  truck 
or  horse-box  to  another,  at  any  part  of  the  journey,  would  be 
attended  with  inconvenience  and  delay  ;  and  with  regard  to 
the  horses,  it  would  involve  considerable  risk.  We  arrive, 
therefore,  at  the  conclusion  that  the  break  of  gauge  would 
inflict  considerable  inconvenience  on  travellers  by  the  trains 
now  under  consideration,  and  that  this  inconvenience  would 
be  much  increased  at  points  of  convergence  of  more  than 
2  lines.  The  change  of  carriages,  horse-boxes  and  trucks, 
and  the  transference  of  luggage  of  an  entire  train  of  much 
extent,  must,  even  in  the  daytime,  be  an  inconvenience  of  a 
very  serious  nature,  but  at  night  it  would  be  an  intolerable 
evil,  and  we  think  legislative  interference-  is  called  for  to 
remove  or  mitigate  such  an  evil. 

3.  Goods  Trains. — From  the  statements  made  to  us  by 
carriers  on  railways,  and  from  our  own  observation,  we  are 
induced  to  believe,  that  not  only  a  considerable  degree  of 
care,  judgment  and  experience  is  necessary  in  the  stowage 
of  merchandise  in  railway  waggons,  but  also  that  it  is  desir- 
able that,  when  properly  packed,  the  articles  should,  generally 
speaking,  not  be  disturbed  until  the  journey  is  completed. 
We  find  that,  in  the  arrangement  of  merchandise,  the  heavier 
goods  are  placed  at  the  bottom,  and  the  lighter  at  the  top 
of  the  load,  and  so  secured  as  to  prevent  friction  as  far  as 
practicable  from  the  jolting  of  the  waggons ;  and  it  is  con- 
sidered very  desirable,  with  a  view  to  prevent  loss  by  pilfering, 
that  the  sheeting,  which  is  placed  over  the  load,  should  not 
be  removed  till  the  completion  of  the  journey.  Indeed, 
acting  upon  this  principle,  carriers  find  it  profitable  to  send 
their  waggons  partially  filled  from  various  stations  on  the 
line,  thereby  increasing  their  toll  to  the  railway  company, 
rather  than  incur  the  risk  of  loss  by  theft,  to  which  they 
would  be  exposed  by  uncovering  the  waggons  on  the  journey, 
to  fill  up  with  intermediate  local  goods,  waggons  that  may 
nave  started  with  light  loads  from  one  of  the  termini.  The 
stations  for  re-arranging  the  goods  trains  are  therefore  as  few 
as  possible;  thus,  between  Leeds  and  London,  the  points 
for  unsheeting  the  goods  waggons  are  only  Derby  and 
Leicester,  and  between  Liverpool  and  London,  the  re-arrange- 
ment is  confined  to  Birmingham  and  Rugby  ;  and  even  at 


332  Appendix. 

those  stations,  the  proportion  of  waggons  which  are  uncovered 
is  very  small ;  indeed,  it  is  stated  that  at  the  important  town 
of  Birmingham  five-sixths  of  the  waggons  pass  without  re- 
arrangement. In  the  conveyance  of  machinery  and  articles 
of  a  similar  class,  which  are  both  heavy  and  delicate,  it  is  of 
the  utmost  consequence  that  the  load  should  not  be  disturbed 
between  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  the  journey ;  a  change 
of  carriage,  such  as  would  result  in  all  probability  from  a 
break  of  the  gauge,  would  altogether  prevent  the  transport 
of  such  articles  by  this  mode  of  conveyance.  We  believe  that 
the  traffic  upon  the  line  of  railway  between  Birmingham  and 
Bristol  has  been  greatly  restricted  by  the  interruption  of 
gauge  at  Gloucester.  In  respect  to  the  conveyance  of 
minerals,  the  inconvenience  of  a  break  of  gauge  would  be 
1  very  serious ;  the  transfer  being  attended  with  an  expense, 
which  would  be  sensibly  felt  in  consequence  of  the  low  rate 
of  tolls  charged  on  such  articles  ;  moreover,  many  descriptions 
of  coal,  such  as  a  considerable  proportion  of  that  of  the 
Midland  Counties,  are  subject  to  great  deterioration  by  break- 
age. In  regard  to  various  articles  of  agricultural  produce, 
the  loss  by  removal  would  be  less  than  on  other  classes  of 
goods ;  much  inconvenience,  however,  would  be  found  in  the 
transfer  of  timber  ;  and  the  difficulty  of  shifting  cattle  would 
be  so  great  as  to  present  an  insurmountable  obstacle  to  such 
an  arrangement,  from  the  excited  state  of  the  animals  after 
travelling  by  railway,  and  the  resistance  they  in  consequence 
offer  when  it  is  attempted  to  force  them  a  second  time  into  a 
railway  waggon. 

4.  Conveyance  of  Troops.  There  is  another  use  of  rail- 
ways which  we  have  deemed  it  necessary  to  consider  ;  we 
allude  to  the  transport  of  your  Majesty's  troops,  with  their 
military  stores,  etc.,  either  in  the  ordinary  movements  of  corps 
through  the  country,  in  the  time  of  peace,  or  in  the  more 
pressing  and  urgent  case  of  their  movements  for  the  defence 
of  the  coast,  or  of  the  interior  of  the  country.  We  have  care- 
fully weighed  the  important  information  given  to  us  by  the 
Quartermaster-General  of  your  Majesty's  Forces,  as  well  as 
by  the  Inspector-General  of  Fortifications,  both  officers  of 
great  experience  ;  and  we  deduce  from  their  opinions,  that 
although  a  break  of  gauge  on  the  line  of  route  would  produce 
both  delay  and  confusion,  yet,  that  as  in  time  of  peace  it  is 
usually  practicable  to  give  notice  of  the  intended  movements 
of  a  body  of  troops,  the  inconvenience  of  the  break  of  gauge 
might  be  so  reduced  as  not  to  be  an  evil  of  great  importance ; 
but,  in  the  event  of  operations  for  defensive  objects  against  an 


Appendix.  333 

enemy,  the  inconvenience  would  assume  a  serious  character. 
It  would  appear,  that  for  the  defence  of  the  coast  the  proper 
course  would  be  to  retain  the  great  mass  of  troops  in  the 
interior  of  the  country  to  wait  until  the  point  selected  by  the 
enemy  for  his  attack  should  be  ascertained  with  certainty, 
and  then  to  move  upon  that  point  such  an  overwhelming 
force  as  should  be  adequate  to  the  emergency.  It  is  obvious 
that  the  success  of  such  a  system  of  defence  must  depend 
upon  the  means  of  conveying  the  troops  with  great  dispatch, 
and  without  interruption  on  the  journey.  The  troops  should 
be  carried  with  their  equipments  complete  in  all  their  details, 
and  with  their  artillery  and  ammunition  ;  and  it  therefore 
appears  indispensably  necessary,  in  order  to  insure  the  requi- 
site supply  of  carriages,  where  perhaps  little  or  no  notice  can 
be  previously  given,  that  the  whole  should  be  conveyed  in  - 
the  same  vehicles  from  the  begining  to  the  end  of  the  journey. 
The  effect  of  a  break  of  gauge  might,  in  this  view  of  the  case, 
expose  the  country  to  serious  danger. 

To  all  classes  of  merchandise,  as  well  as  to  all  military 
operations  connected  with  railways,  one  general  remark  will 
apply,  that,  in  starting  from  any  one  point,  it  is  usually  practi- 
cable to  obtain  a  sufficient  number  of  waggons  for  whatever 
may  be  required  to  leave  that  point,  however  irregular  the 
traffic  may  be  ;  but,  at  the  convergence  of  several  lines,  where 
the  greater  number  might  be  of  a  gauge  not  corresponding  to 
the  gauge  of  the  other  lines,  if  it  happened  that  all  were 
unusually  loaded  at  the  same  time,  it  would  probably  be  im- 
possible to  provide  on  the  latter  an  adequate  number  of 
waggons  to  carry  off  all  the  loads  thus  brought ;  the  alter- 
native would  be,  on  the  one  hand,  to  submit  to  great  confusion, 
delay  and  inconvenience  on  all  the  converging  lines  having 
the  majority  on  the  same  gauge ;  or,  on  the  other  hand,  to 
maintain  on  the  lines  being  in  the  minority  a  very  extensive 
stock  of  carriages,  which  in  general  would  be  totally  useless. 
There  is  one  point  which  forcibly  presses  on  our  attention, 
and  the  truth  of  which  must  be  readily  acknowledged,  but 
of  which  the  importance  is  not  at  first  equally  obvious  ;  it  is, 
that  the  greater  part  of  the  inconveniences  to  which  we  have 
alluded  are  not  inconveniences  of  rare  occurrence,  and  which 
would  effect  only  a  small  number  of  persons,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  that  many  of  them  would  occur  several  times  in  the 
course  of  every  day  to  a  great  number  of  persons  at  each 
point  at  which  a  break  of  gauge  might  exist.  The  cumul- 
ative amount  of  such  inconvenience  would  of  necessity  be 
very  considerable  ;  and  we  feel  bound  to  sum  up  our  con- 


334  Appendix. 

elusions  by  stating  that  we  consider  a  break  of  gauge  to  be  a 
very  serious  evil. 

Section  II.  REMEDIES  FOR  THE  EVILS  OF  BREAKING 
GAUGE. — We  are  now  brought  to  the  second  stage  of  our 
inquiry,  which  is,  to  discover  the  means  of  obviating  or 
mitigating  the  evil  that  we  find  to  result  from  the  break  of 
gauge. 

The  methods  which  have  been  laid  before  us,  as  calculated 
for  this  purpose,  are  as  follow: — 1st.  What  maybe  termed 
telescopic  axle ;  an  arrangement  of  the  wheels  and  axles  of 
carriages,  permitting  the  wheels  to  slide  on  the  axle  so  as  to 
contract  or  extend  the  interval  between  them  in  such  a 
manner  that  they  may  be  adapted  to  either  of  the  gauges. 
2ndly.  A  form  of  truck  adapted  to  the  Broad  Gange,  but 
carrying  upon  its  upper  surface  pieces  of  rail  4  feet  8^-  inches 
asunder,  so  that  a  Narrow  Gauge  carriage  may  be  run  upon 
these  rails  without  any  disturbance  of  its  wheels.  3rdly.  A 
method  of  shifting  the  bodies  of  carriages  from  a  platform 
and  set  of  wheels  adapted  for  one  gauge  to  a  different  plat- 
form and  set  of  wheels  adapted  to  the  other  gauge.  4thly. 
A  proposal  to  carry  merchandise  and  minerals  in  loose  boxes, 
which  may  be  shifted  from  one  truck  to  another,  and  of  which 
one  only  would  probably  be  carried  upon  a  Narrow  Gauge 
truck,  while  two  would  be  conveyed  on  a  Broad  Gauge  truck. 

I.  Telescopic  Axles. — Of  these  various  methods,  the  first,  if 
it  admitted  of  being  used  safely  and  extensively,  would  be, 
in  its  application,  the  easiest  of  all.  By  the  operations  of 
detaching  the  wheels  from  one  limiting  hold,  of  pushing  the 
carriage  along  converging  or  diverging  rails,  until  its  wheels 
were  brought  to  the  required  width,  and  of  then  connecting 
them  by  another  limiting  hold,  the  transformation  of  the 
Narrow  Gauge  carriage  to  the  Broad  Gauge  carriage,  or  vice 
versa,  would  be  completed.  But  this  construction  is  liable  to 
grave  objections.  It  is  stated  to  us  as  a  matter  of  experience 
(and  we  believe  it  admits  of  satisfactory  explanation),  that  a 
very  small  unsteadiness  of  the  wheels  of  a  railway  carriage 
upon  the  axle  renders  the  carriage  liable  to  run  off  the  rails. 
A  far  more  serious  objection,  however,  is,  that  the  safety 
of  a  carriage,  and  the  whole  train  with  which  it  is  connected, 
would  depend  upon  the  care  of  the  attendant  who  has  to 
make  the  adjustments  of  the  axle  slide. 

It  is  true  that  there  are  other  cases,  as  in  the  attendance 
on  the  switches  and  signals,  which  depend  upon  the  care  of 
the  person  who  is  stationed  to  work  them  ;  but  the  circum- 
stances differ  very  widely.  In  these  cases,  the  attendant  has 


Appendix.  335 

a  single  act  to  perform  (or  at  the  utmost,  two  acts  only),  he  is 
not  hurried,  and  his  whole  attention  is  concentrated  on  very 
simple  duties. 

In  respect  to  the  shifting  axles,  the  attendant  would  have 
to  adjust  a  great  many  carriages  in  succession  (as  there  are 
sometimes  a  hundred  waggons  in  a  goods  train),  the  adjust- 
ment must  be  made  hurriedly,  and  often  in  the  night,  and  the 
attendant's  thoughts  would  probably  have  been  partly  occupied 
with  the  loading  of  goods,  and  other  station  arrangements. 

On  the  score  of  danger,  therefore,  we  think  that  this  con- 
struction must  be  at  once  abandoned.  But  we  think  it  proper 
to  add,  that  if  even  there  were  no  such  essential  ground  of 
objection,  a  construction  of  this  nature  could  not  be  adequately 
useful  unless  it  were  extended  to  every  carriage  which  is  likely 
to  pass  the  station  where  the  break  of  gauge  occurs.  Under 
the  existing  system  of  interchange  of  carriages,  which  is 
adopted  by  all  the  railway  companies  whose  lines  communi- 
cate, and  of  which  the  advantages  are  recognised  in  special 
clauses  of  the  Acts  of  Parliament  applying  to  several  railways, 
carriages  belonging  to  distant  railways  will  frequently  be 
found  at  the  place  of  junction  of  the  two  gauges.  This  con- 
struction, therefore,  would  lose  much  of  its  utility  unless  every 
railway  carriage  were  made  in  conformity  to  it — that  is,  unless 
a  vast  expenditure  of  capital,  and  a  corresponding  annual  ex- 
pense in  replacing  worn-out  carriages,  etc.,  were  incurred,  even 
on  railways  very  distant  from  the  break  of  gauge. 

2.  Broad  Gauge  Trucks  for  Narrow  Gauge  Carriages. — 
The  plan  of  placing  a  Narrow  Gauge  carriage  upon  the  top  of 
a  Broad  Gauge  truck  has,  on  the  face  of  it,  this  obvious  diffi- 
culty, that  a  Broad  Gauge  carriage  cannot  be  placed  in  the 
same  manner  upon  a  Narrow  Gauge  truck,  and,  therefore,  unless 
not  only  the  Broad  Gauge  railway,  but  also  all  others  com- 
municating with  it,  be  furnished  with  trucks  proper  for 
carrying  Narrow  Gauge  waggons,  and  with  Narrow  Gauge 
waggons  also,  and  unless  the  loads  travelling  towards  the 
Narrow  Gauge  be  placed  only  in  these  Narrow  Gauge  waggons, 
the  system  effects  nothing  as  regards  the  passage  in  one 
direction.  But  even  with  regard  to  the  passage  from  the 
Narrow  Gauge  to  the  Broad  Gauge,  the  system  will  not  bear 
examination.  If  the  trucks  are  supported  on  springs,  there  is 
practically  a  difficulty  in  running  the  waggons  upon  them  ; 
and  if  they  are  not  supported  on  springs,  they  will  sustain 
great  injury  on  the  journeys.  If  they  are  loaded  singly,  there 
will  be  a  great  delay ;  if  they  are  placed  in  a  row,  and  the 
Narrow  Gauge  carriages  are  run  through  the  whole  series,  very 


336  Appendix. 

great  caution  will  be  necessary  to  secure  each  carriage  both 
in  front  and  in  rear.  When  heavy  loads  are  thus  placed  in 
elevated  positions,  and  when  the  security  of  each  depends 
upon  adjustments  hurriedly  made,  there  will  be  the  danger  to 
which  we  have  alluded  in  noticing  the  first  proposed  con- 
struction. Finally,  an  enormous  amount  of  dead  weight  will 
be  carried  on  the  Broad  Gauge  line.  We  reject  this  proposal 
as  entirely  inapplicable  to  the  traffic  of  railways. 

3.  Shifting  Bodies. — The  system  of  shifting  the  bodies  of 
carriages  from   road  wheels  to  railway  wheels   is   practised 
successfully  in  France,  where  the  diligences  from  Paris   to 
distant  towns,  proceeding  on  road  wheels  from  the  Messagerie 
of  Paris  to  the  railway  station,  are  carried  on  a  peculiar  rail- 
way truck  as  far  as  Rouen  and  Orleans,  and  are  then  again 
placed  on  road  wheels  to  continue  their  journey.     At  the  low 
speeds  of  the  French  railways  this  system  is  safe,   but   we 
doubt  whether  it  would  be  safe  with  the  speeds  of  the  English 
railways.     Moreover,  it  deprives  the  railway  system  of  one  of 
its    greatest  conveniences,    namely,  its   readiness  to  receive 
almost  any  number  of  passengers  without  warning,  and  to 
carry  them  to  any  distance,  small  or  great.     Carriers'  carts 
are   also   conveyed  (but   to  no  great  amount)   in  the  same 
manner.     In  France,  as  we   understand,  it   is   not  thought 
likely  that  the  system  will  be  in  any  degree  retained  when 
those  railways  shall  have  been  extended  further.     The  same 
remarks,  we  conceive,  would  apply  entirely,  or  in  a   great 
measure,  to  similar  proposals  for  the  shifting  of  the  bodies  of 
railway  carriages  ;  but  as  this  plan  has  never  been  strenuously 
urged,  it  is  unnecessary  to  criticise  it  more  minutely. 

4.  Loose  Boxes  for  Goods. — The  system  of  conveying  goods 
in  loose  boxes,  carried  upon  railway  trucks,  has  been  seriously 
discussed.     It  has  been  repeatedly  tried,  and  we  are  able, 
therefore,  to  give  an  opinion  on  it,  founded  on  experience. 
The  result  of  this  experience  is,  that  in  one  instance  of  a 
temporary  character,  where  the  whole  operation  was  under 
the  control  of  one  engineer,  it  succeeded :  in  other  instances, 
although   always  under  the  control   of  one  engineer  or  one 
company,   it   has    usually   failed  ;    and    these   failures   have 
occurred   where,   from   the   deterioration,    caused    by   hand- 
shifting,  to  the  mineral  conveyed,  it  was  matter  of  anxiety  to 
avoid  transference  of  the  load  from  one  box  or  waggon  to 
another,  and  where  no  expense  was  spared  in  the  erection  of 
machinery  proper  for  the  transference  of  the  loose   boxes. 
These  failures,  it  is  to  be  remarked,  occurred  in   a   traffic 
which  is  comparatively  regular,  viz.,  that  of  coal ;  in  traffic  of 


Appendix.  337 

a  less  regular  character,  the  causes  tending  to  produce  failure 
would  be  very  much  more  numerous.  We  consider  that  this 
method  is  totally  inapplicable  to  remedy  the  inconvenience 
of  a  break  of  gauge.  Some  of  the  witnesses  whom  we  have 
examined  are  of  opinion  that  there  would  be  less  difficulty 
in  unloading  the  waggons  of  one  gauge  and  'placing  the 
articles  in  waggons  of  the  other  gauge,  by  having  two  rows 
of  waggons  on  the  different  gauges,  marshalled  alongside  of 
each  other ;  but  having  witnessed  this  process  at  Gloucester, 
we  are  of  opinion  that  such  a  system  is  totally  inapplicable  to 
an  extended  traffic.  We  sum  up  our  conclusions  on  this 
head  by  stating  our  belief  that  no  method  has  been  proposed 
to  us  which  is  calculated  to  remedy,  in  any  important  degree, 
the  inconveniences  attending  a  break  of  gauge. 

Section  III.  ON  UNIFORMITY  OF  GAUGE. — Considera- 
tions on  the  general  policy  of  establishing  an  uniformity  of 
gauge  throughout  the  country.  We  approach  this  momen- 
tous question  with  a  full  conviction  of  its  importance,  and  of 
the  responsibility  that  rests  upon  us.  That  an  uniformity  of 
gauge  is  now  an  object  much  to  be  desired,  there  can,  we 
think,  be  no  question.  In  the  earlier  period  of  the  railway 
history  of  this  country,  the  great  trunk  lines  were  so  far  separ- 
ated as  to  be  independent  of  each  other,  and,  as  it  were, 
isolated  in  their  respective  districts,  and  no  diversity  of  gauge 
was  then  likely  to  interfere  with  the  personal  convenience  or 
the  commercial  objects  of  the  community  ;  but  now  that  rail- 
ways are  spreading  in  all  directions,  and  becoming  interlaced 
with  each  other  in  numerous  places,  that  isolation  is  removed, 
that  independence  has  ceased,  and  the  time  has  arrived  when, 
if  steps  cannot  be  taken  to  remove  the  existing  evil  of  the 
diversity  of  gauge,  at  least  it  appears  to  us  imperative  that  a 
wider  spread  of  this  evil  should  be  prevented.  If  we  had  to 
deal  with  a  question  not  affecting  the  interests  of  parties,  who 
are  not  only  unconnected,  but  who  are  opposed  to  each  other 
in  a  spirit  of  emulation,  if  not  of  rivalry  ;  or  if  we  were  dealing 
with  the  property  of  the  public,  and  not  of  private  trading 
companies,  we  should  merely  have  to  consider  whether  that 
uniformity  of  gauge  which  we  deem  to  be  so  desirable,  would 
be  too  dearly  purchased  by  an  alteration  of  one  gauge  to  suit 
the  other,  or  of  both  to  some  fresh  gauge  which  might  be  con- 
sidered preferable  to  either,  if  any  such  there  be.  But  our 
position  is  different  from  this,  since  we  have  to  consider  not 
only  the  relative  length  of  the  different  systems,  the  compara- 
tive mechanical  efficiency  of  each,  the  general  superiority  of 
one  above  the  other,  their  adaptation  to  the  wants  of  the 


338  Appendix. 

country,  and  the  possibility  as  well  as  the  policy  of  a  change, 
but  also  the  pecuniary  means  of  effecting  it.     We  have  further 
to  look  to  the  consequences  of  an  interruption  of  the  traffic 
during  the  progress  of  an  alteration.     There  is  still  another 
view  of  the  question,  and  that  is,  the  expediency  of  having,  on 
lines  of  railway,  additional  rails,  so  as  to  afford  the  facility  of 
using  engines  and  carriages  on  both  gauges.     This  expedient, 
in  whatever  form  adopted,  cannot  be  considered  as  free  from 
difficulties.     If  two  rails,  forming  a  Narrow  Gauge  way,  are 
placed   between  the  two  rails  which  form  aBroad  Gauge  way, 
carriages  of  the  different  gauges  may  run  in  the  same  train, 
without  alteration  even  of  their  buffers,  which,  in  the  ordinary 
construction  of  the  carriages,  correspond  exactly  on  the  Broad 
and  Narrow  Gauges.     But  the  expense  of  such  an  insertion 
would  probably  be  not  less  than  that  of  an  entire  change  of 
gauge,   including,  in   the  latter,  the  change  of  engines  and 
carrying  stock  ;  and  the  complication  which  it  would  intro- 
duce at  the  crossings  might  produce  danger  to  rapid  trains, 
unless  their  speed  were  diminished  at  approaching  such  points. 
The  difficulty  of  packing   the  rails,  if  longitudinal    sleepers 
were  used,  would  also  be  much  greater  than  if  rails  of  only  a 
single  gauge  were  employed.     If  a  single  rail  were  inserted 
eccentrically  in  a  Broad  Gauge  way,  so  as  to  form,  in  con- 
junction with  one  of  the  Broad  Gauge  rails,  a  Narrow  Gauge 
way,  the   expense   of  the  insertion,  and    the  danger    of  the 
crossings,  as  well  as  the  difficulty  of  packing  the  rails,  would 
be  somewhat  diminished,  but  it  would  be  imprudent  to  run 
carriages  of  the  different  gauges  in  the  same  train  ;  and  as  it 
would  probably  be  the  policy  of  the  railway  company  to  adopt 
for  their  own  stock  of  engines  only  one  of  the  two  gauges, 
and  to  interpose  those  difficulties  which  amount  to  a  prohibi- 
tion of  the  use  of  other  companies'  engines,  the  inconveniences 
of  a  break  of  gauge  would  exist  in  almost  all  their  force  at 
every  junction  of  a  branch  railway  on  a  different  gauge.     We 
consider,  therefore,  that  the  general  adoption  of  such  a  system 
ought  not  to  be  permitted.     We  remark,  however,  that  the 
difficulties     to     which    we    have    alluded     may    be    greatly 
diminished  on  any  railway  where  the  system   of  combined 
gauges  is  cordially  taken  up  by  the  company ;  and  we  think 
that  great  respect  ought  to  be  paid  to  the  rights  which  the 
companies  may  be  supposed  to  possess   in  the  methods  or 
systems  which  they  have  devised  or  adopted.      At  the  same 
time,  we  lay  it  down  as  the  first  principle,  that  inter-communi- 
cation of  railways  throughout  the  country  ought,  if  possible, 
to  be  secured.     If,  to   obtain  the  last-mentioned    object,   it 


Appendix.  339 

should  be  necessary  to  alter  or  make  a  change  in  any  existing 
railways,  we  think  that  it  may  be  left  as  a  matter  of  ulterior 
consideration  for  the  Legislature,  whether  in  these  limited 
instances  the  combination  of  gauges  may  not  be  allowed. 


ON  THE  BEST  GAUGE. 

Whatever  may  be  the  course  which  at  the  present  time 
circumstances  will  permit,  it  will  appear  from  the  opinion 
we  have  expressed  that  we  think,  abstractedly,  equalisation 
desirable ;  and  we  shall,  therefore,  proceed  to  consider  what 
gauge  would  be  the  best  in  such  a  system  of  equalization. 

I.  For  Safety. — We  are  of  opinion  that  experience  will, 
in  this  matter,  afford  a  better  test  by  which  to  compare  the 
systems  of  the  Broad  and  the  Narrow  Gauge  than  any 
theory ;  and  we  therefore  have  made  inquiry  into  the  nature 
of  the  accidents  recorded  in  the  Official  Reports  of  the 
Board  of  Trade,  as  well  as  of  such  as  have  happened  since 
the  last  Report  was  published.  We  find  that  railway 
accidents  arise  from  collisions,  obstructions  on  £he  road,  points 
wrongly  placed,  slips  in  cuttings,  subsidence  of  embankments, 
a  defective  state  of  the  permanent  way,  loss  of  gauge,  broken 
or  loose  chairs,  fractures  of  wheels  or  axles,  etc.,  and,  lastly, 
from  engines  running  off  the  line  through  some  other  cause. 
Of  these  several  classes  of  accidents,  all  except  the  last  are 
obviously  independent  of  the  gauge  ;  and  with  reference  to 
this  last  class,  we  have  thought  it  right  to  endeavour  to 
determine  whether  the  advocates  of  either  gauge  could  fairly 
claim,  in  regard  to  these  accidents,  a  preference  for  their 
respective  systems  on  the  score  of  greater  security  to  the 
traveller.  In  these  lists  we  find  only  six  accidents  of  the 
kind  we  are  considering  recorded  from  October  1840  to 
May  1845,  whereas  there  have  been  no  less  than  seven  within 
the  last  seven  months,  and  these  are  all  attributable  to  ex- 
cessive speed,  the  majority  having  happened  to  express 
trains.  Of  the  whole  number  of  these  accidents,  three  have 
occurred  on  the  Broad  Gauge  and  ten  on  the  Narrow ;  the 
former,  however,  differ  in  their  character  from  the  latter, 
the  carriages  only,  in  the  two  last  cases,  having  been  off 
the  line,  whereas,  in  all  the  ten  Narrow  Gauge  cases,  the 
engines  have  run  off,  and  the  consequences  have  been 
more  fatal.  We  must  here  observe,  however,  that  the  ex- 
tent of  the  Narrow  Gauge  lines  is  1901  miles,  and  that 
of  the  Broad  only  274 ;  therefore  the  comparison  would 
be  unfavourable  to  the  Broad  Gauge  if  considered  merely 


34-O  Appendix. 

with  regard  to  their  relative  length  ;  but  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  the  general  speed  of  the  Great  Western  con- 
siderably exceeds  that  of  many  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  lines, 
and  that  some  consideration  is  on  this  account  due  to  the 
Broad  Gauge.  The  primary  causes  of  engines  getting  off 
the  rails  appear  to  be  overdriving,  a  defective  road,  a  bad 
joint,  or  a  badly-balanced  engine.  If,  in  consequence  of 
heavy  rains  or  other  unfavourable  circumstances,  any  part 
of  the  road  becomes  unsound,  the  engine  sinks  on  one  side 
as  it  passes  along  such  part  of  the  rails,  suddenly  rises  again, 
and  is  thus  thrown  into  a  rocking  and  lateral  oscillatory 
motion,  with  more  or  less  of  violence,  according  to  the 
rate  of  speed ;  and  a  very  similiar  effect  is  produced  in 
passing  at  high  speeds  from  one  curve  to  another  of  different 
curvature.  A  succession  of  strains  is  thus  thrown  upon  the 
rails,  and  if,  before  the  rocking  subsides,  the  wheel  meets 
with  a  defective  rail  or  chair,  which  yields  to  the  impulse, 
the  engine  and  train  are  thrown  off  as  a  necessary  conse- 
quence ;  but,  as  far  as  we  can  see,  such  casualties  are 
equally  likely  to  happen  on  either  gauge,  other  circum- 
stances being  similar.  It  has  indeed  been  stated  by  some 
of  the  witnesses  whom  we  have  examined,  that  the  Broad 
Gauge  is  more  liable  to  such  accidents,  from  the  circum- 
stance that  the  length  of  the  engine,  or  rather  the  distance 
between  the  fore  and  hind  axle,  is  less  in  proportion  to 
its  breadth  than  in  the  Narrow  Gauge  engines,  and  that 
therefore  the  Broad  Gauge  engine  is  liable  to  be  thrown 
more  obliquely  across  the  lines,  and  in  case  of  meeting  with 
an  open  or  defective  joint,  more  liable  to  quit  the  rail ;  but 
we  cannot  admit  the  validity  of  this  objection  against  the 
Broad  Gauge  lines.  It  may  be,  that  the  proportion  between 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  engine  has  some  influence 
on  its  motion,  and  that  the  motion  is  somewhat  less  steady 
where  the  difference  between  the  length  and  breadth  is 
considerably  diminished,  but  practical  facts  scarcely  lead 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  safety  of  the  trains  is  endangered 
by  the  present  proportion  of  the  Broad  Gauge  engines  ; 
for  it  appears  that  on  the  London  and  Birmingham  Rail- 
way, where  the  engines  hitherto  employed  have  been, 
generally,  short  four-wheeled  engines,  the  distance  from 
axle  to  axle  not  exceeding  7  feet,  or  7  feet  6  inches,  no 
such  accident  as  we  are  considering  has  been  reported  ; 
and,  we  are  informed  by  Mr  Bruyeres,  the  superintendent 
of  that  line,  that  no  such  accident  has  ever  occurred.  The 
same  remark  applies  to  some  other  Narrow  Gauge  lines ; 


Appendix.  341 

and  if,  as  has  been  stated,  exemption  from  these  accidents 
has  resulted  from  the  close  fixing  of  the  engine  and  tender 
adopted  on  this  line,  the  same  system  might  be  adopted 
on  any  other  line,  whether  on  the  Broad  or  Narrow  Gauge. 
An  evil  may  also  sometimes  arise  in  six-wheeled  engines, 
by  the  centre  of  gravity  of  the  engine  being  brought  too 
much  over  the  driving-wheels,  and  the  springs  being  so 
adjusted  for  the  sake  of  the  adhesion  of  the  wheels  to  the 
rails,  that  the  front  wheels  would  have  little  or  no  weight 
to  support,  and  would  be  thus  in  a  condition,  by  any  irregu- 
larity in  the  road  or  other  obstruction,  to  be  more  easily 
lifted  off  the  rails.  But  here,  again,  if  this  fault  in  the  con- 
struction or  adjustment  has  been  anywhere  committed,  it  is  a 
fault  or  defect  wholly  unconnected  with  the  breadth  of  gauge. 

Another  cause  of  unsteady  or  irregular  motion,  dangerous 
to  the  safety  of  the  train,  has  been  stated  to  be  the  great 
overhanging  weight  beyond  the  axles  _of  some  engines  of 
recent  construction,  and  of  the  weight  of' the  outside  cylinder, 
beyond  the  axle  bearings.  So  far  as  this  construction  is 
concerned,  it  certainly  appertains  to  Narrow  Gauge  lines  only, 
but  at  the  same  time  we  must  remark  that  it  is  not  essential 
to  their  working. 

Upon  the  whole,  therefore,  after  the  most  careful  con- 
sideration of  this  part  of  the  subject,  we  feel  bound  to  report 
that,  as  regards  the  safety  of  the  passenger,  no  preference  is 
due,  with  well-proportioned  engines,  to  either  gauge,  except 
perhaps  at  very  high  velocities,  where  we  think  a  preference 
would  be  due  to  the  Broad  Gauge.  On  this  part  of  the 
subject  we  would  beg  to  point  to  the  nature  of  the  evidence 
of  Mr  Nicholas  Wood. 

2.  Public  Accommodation  and  Convenience. — We  have  now 
to  advert  to  the  question  of  the  relative  accommodation  and 
convenience  for  passengers  and  goods.  The  first-class  car- 
riages of  the  Broad  Gauge  are  intended  to  carry  eight  pas- 
sengers in  each  compartment,  and  the  compartments  are 
sometimes  subdivided  by  a  partition  and  inside  door.  On 
the  Narrow  Gauge  lines  the  first-class  carriages  are  usually 
constructed  to  carry  only  six  passengers  in  each  compart- 
ment, and  we  find  that  about  the  same  width  is  allowed  for 
each  passenger  on  both  gauges.  Some  of  the  original  mail 
carriages  were  adapted  for  four  passengers,  and  we  believe 
that  the  public  had  a  preference  for  these  carriages  over  both 
the  other  descriptions.  Until  lately  the  Broad  Gauge  car- 
riages were  altogether  more  commodious  than  those  of  the 
Narrow  Gauge,  but  recently  carriages  have  been  introduced 


34 2  Appendix. 

on  several  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  lines  nearly  as  lofty  as  those 
on  the  Broad  Gauge,  and  equally  commodious ;  in  short,  we 
now  see  no  essential  difference  as  regards  accommodation  and 
convenience  to  individual  passengers  in  the  first-class  car- 
riages of  the  two  gauges. 

In  the  second-class  carriages  on  the  Broad  Gauge  six 
persons  sit  side  by  side,  each  carriage  being  capable  of  hold- 
ing seventy-two  passengers.  On  the  Narrow  Gauge,  gener- 
ally, only  four  persons  sit  side  by  side,  the  total  number  in 
each  carriage  being  thirty-two  ;  in  this  respect  we  are  inclined 
to  consider  the  latter  are  more  comfortably  accommodated.' 
With  reference  to  the  ease  of  the  carriage,  and  the  smooth- 
ness of  the  motion,  we  have  had  very  contradictory  evidence, 
and  it  must  be  admitted  that  great  difference  is  experienced 
on  the  same  line  at  different  times,  depending  upon  the  state 
of  the  road,  the  springs  of  the  carriage,  the  number  of  persons 
in  a  carriage,  to  bring  the  springs  into  action,  the  position  of 
the  carriage  in  the  train,  and  the  speed  at  which  the  train  is 
propelled,  all  which  conditions  are  independent  of  the  breadth 
of  gauge.  We  have,  however,  with  a  view  of  making  our  own 
observations  on  this  question,  travelled  several  times  over  all 
those  lines  having  their  stations  in  London,  and  after  making, 
to  the  best  of  our  judgment,  every  allowance  for  the  circum- 
stances above  mentioned,  we  are  of  opinion  that  at  the  higher 
velocities  the  motion  is  usually  smoother  on  the  Broad  Gauge. 

It  is  now  to  be  considered  whether  either  gauge  has  a 
superiority  over  the  other  in  regard  to  the  conveyance  to 
general  merchandise.  Under  this  head  we  class  manu- 
factured goods  and  their  raw  materials,  mineral  products, 
such  as  coal,  lime,  iron,  and  other  ores ;  agricultural  pro- 
duce, such  as  corn,  hops,  wool,  cattle  and  timber.  On  these 
points  we  have  taken  the  evidence  of  persons  well  acquainted 
with  the  carrying  trade,  and  from  their  information,  and  our 
own  observation,  it  does  not  appear  to  be  of  consequence 
to  the  parties  sending  or  receiving  goods  whether  they  are 
transmitted  in  the  waggons  containing  5  or  6  tons,  or 
in  waggons  of  larger  capacity,  provided  that  the  cost  and 
security  are  the  same,  and  that  the  carriers  undertake  the 
responsibility  of  any  damage  that  may  result  from  the  size 
of  the  load.  But  Messrs  Home  &  Chaplain  and  Mr  Hay- 
ward,  who  are  largely  interested,  and  have  had  great  ex- 
perience in  the  carrying  trade,  have  expressed  a  strong 
opinion  that  the  smaller  waggon  is  far  the  more  convenient 
and  economical.  The  same  opinion  is  still  more  strongly 
expressed  by  those  witnesses  we  have  examined,  who  have 


Appendix.  343 

» 

experience  of  our  mineral  districts.  These  persons  state 
that  the  smaller  waggon  can  be  more  easily  handled,  and 
can  be  taken  along  sharper  curves  than  would  be  suited  to 
a  broader  waggon  ;  that  such  sharp  curves  are  very  common 
in  mineral  works  and  districts,  and  that  the  broken  nature  of 
the  ground  would  render  curves  of  greater  radius  incon- 
venient and  expensive. 

Another  important  difference  between  the  two  gauges, 
in  this  commercial  view  of  the  question,  would  present  its- 
self  in  localities  in  which  there  may  be  a  difficulty  of  readily 
obtaining  full  loads  for  the  waggons  at  road  stations.  Here 
the  defect  of  the  dead  weight,  which  we  find  to  apply  more 
particularly  to  the  Broad  Gauge,  would  be  greatly  increased, 
unless  another  evil  of  still  greater  commercial  importance 
were  created,  that  of  detaining  the  waggons  to  receive  full 
loads.  On  the  whole,  therefore,  we  consider  the  Narrow 
Gauge  as  the  more  convenient  for  the  merchandise  of  the 
country. 

3.  Comparative  Speed  on  the  Gauges. — With  a  view  to  form 
our  judgment  on  this  subject,  we  have  examined  the  time- 
tables of  the  several  companies  having  express  and  fast 
trains,  and  the  returns  furnished  by  those  companies  of 
the  actual  speeds  attained  by  the  express  trains  on  thirty 
successive  days,  from  the  I5th  of  June  to  the  I5th  of  July 
1845.  We  have  also,  on  various  occasions,  travelled  in  the 
express  trains,  and  noted  the  speed,  mile  by  mile.  The 
result  has  been  that  we  are  fully  satisfied  that  the  average 
speed  on  the  Great  Western,  both  by  the  express  trains  and 
by  the  ordinary  trains,  exceeds  the  highest  speed  of  similar 
trains  on  any  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  lines.  But  some  of  the 
latter  have  trains  which  exceed  in  speed  the  corresponding 
trains  of  the  Bristol  and  Gloucester  line,  and  also  of  the 
Swindon  and  Gloucester  line,  both  of  which  are  on  the 
Broad  Gauge ;  but  these  latter,  it  is  to  be  remembered, 
are  still  of  recent  construction,  with  unfavourable  curves 
and  gradients  ;  and  we  have  been  informed  by  Mr  R. 
Stephenson,  in  his  evidence,  that  at  one  period  the  speed 
on  the  Northern  and  Eastern  line  even  exceeded  that  of 
the  Great  Western. 

In  treating  of  a  difference  in  the  speed,  other  circum- 
stances besides  the  mere  gauge  must  be  considered.  The 
inclinations  and  curves  of  the  Great  Western  Railway, 
between  London  and  Bristol,  and  even  for  40  miles  beyond 
Bristol,  are,  with  the  exception  of  the  Wootton-Basset  and 
the  Box  inclines,  particularly  favourable  to  the  attainment 


344  Appendix. 

of  high  velocities  ;  and  it  is  important  to  remark  that  the 
inclinations  and  curves  on  that  part  of  the  Northern  and 
Eastern  Railway,  where  the  competition  in  speed  with  the 
Great  Western  was  the  most  successful,  are  generally  of  a 
similar  character.  One  of  the  principal  motives  professed 
for  constructing  the  Great  Western  Railway  on  the  Broad 
Gauge  was  the  attaining  of  high  speeds,  and  the  credit  of 
the  proposers  and  defenders  of  that  construction  has  there- 
fore been  deeply  engaged  in  maintaining  them.  The  effect 
of  gradients  on  the  speed  of  the  Great  Western  trains,  even 
with  the  powerful  engines  used  on  that  line,  is  shown  in 
the  time-table  (page  24)  where  we  find  that,  while  the 
speed  from  Paddington  to  Didcot  by  the  express  train  is 
47^  miles  per  hour,  from  Didcot  to  Swindon  it  is  only 
41.1;  and  from  Swindon  to  Gloucester  only  31.7;  from 
Swindon  to  Bath  it  is  48.2,  but  returning  only  37.2  ;  from 
Bristol  to  Taunton  the  speed  is  46.3,  and  from  Taunton  to 
Exeter  only  39.2. 

We  must  observe,  however,  that  while  the  Great  West- 
ern Company  have  not  altered  in  any  degree  the  plan  of 
their  engines,  the  higher  velocities  of  the  Narrow  Gauge 
lines  have  been  attained  by  the  introduction  of  a  more 
powerful  kind  of  engine  than  was  employed  at  an  earlier 
period,  and  probably  the  new  engines  now  used  on  the 
Narrow  Gauge  lines  are  as  powerful  as  they  can  well  be 
made  within  the  limits  of  their  gauge;  whereas  the  Broad 
Gauge  lines  have  still  a  means  of  obtaining  an  increase  in 
the  power  of  their  engines,  and  of  increasing  their  speed 
provided  the  road  be  in  a  condition  to  sustain  the  great 
increased  force  which  must  result  from  any  increased 
weight  of  the  engine  moving  at  such  high  velocities. 
Whether  the  permanent  way  is  in  such  a  state  at  present 
is  very  questionable,  or  even  whether  it  be  possible  in  all 
vicissitudes  of  weather  to  maintain  it  in  such  a  condition. 
We  ought  not  to  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that,  since  the 
introduction  of  express  trains,  the  accidents  arising  from 
engines  running  off  the  line  have  been  much  more  common 
than  in  former  years  ;  indeed,  these  accidents  have  been 
more  numerous  within  the  last  seven  months  than  within 
the  preceding  five  years,  and  it  is  questionable  whether 
this  contest  for  speed  ought  to  be  carried  to  any  greater 
length.  We  are,  indeed,  strongly  inclined  to  the  opinion 
stated  by  several  engineers  in  their  evidence,  that  it  is  the 
stability  of  the  road,  and  not  the  power  of  the  engine,  that 
will  prescribe  the  limits  of  safe  speed. 


Appendix.  345 

On  the  first  introduction  of  passenger  railways,  speeds 
of  about  12  miles  per  hour  only  were  anticipated:  the  rails 
then  employed  weighed  only  35  Ibs.  per  yard,  and  the 
engines  about  6  or  7  tons.  As  soon  as  speeds  of  20  and 
24  miles  per  hour  were  attempted,  it  was  found  necessary 
to  have  rails  of  50  Ibs.  per  yard,  and  engines  weighing 
10  and  12  tons.  Since  that  time  the  rails  have  been  in- 
creased in  weight  progressively  to  65,  75,  and  85  Ibs.  per 
yard,  and  the  weight  of  the  engine  on  the  Broad  Gauge 
exceeds  22  tons,  and  on  the  Narrow  Gauge  it  now 
approaches  20  tons  ;  indeed,  we  have  seen  a  Narrow 
Gauge  engine  on  six  wheels  weighing  30  tons.  We 
doubt,  however,  whether  a  corresponding  stability  has 
been  attained  in  the  road  itself.  Amongst  other  changes 
for  increasing  the  power  of  the  engine  and  the  speed  of 
the  trains  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  lines,  there  have  been  the 
giving  an  increased  length  to  the  engine,  and  the  placing 
the  cylinders  on  the  outside  of  the  -framing ;  but  it  is 
the  opinion  of  some  of  the  witnesses  we  have  examined, 
that  this  position  of  the  cylinders  has  a  tendency  to  pro- 
duce a  greater  wear  and  tear  of  the  journals,  and  a  con- 
sequent rocking  and  irregular  motion  of  the  engine  on  the 
line.  This,  however,  while  the  engine  is  of  medium  length, 
has  been  denied  by  Mr  Locke,  who  has  had  great  ex- 
perience in  the  working  of  outside-cylinder  engines.  But 
it  is  stated  by  Mr  Gray  and  Mr  Gooch,  that  where  the 
length  of  the  engine  is  greatly  increased,  this  increased 
length,  by  causing  the  extremities  of  the  engine  to  over- 
hang very  considerably  the  fore  and  hind  axles,  has  a 
great  tendency  to  increase  the  irregular  motion  produced  by 
the  outside  cylinder.  Mr  R.  Stephenson  admits  that,  in  some 
of  the  later  engines,  this  irregularity  does  exist,  but  he 
attributes  it  to  the  weight  of  the  piston  and  its  appendages, 
observing,  '  I  do  not  believe  that  it  is  the  steam  that  causes 
the  irregular  action,  but  I  believe  it  to  be  the  mere  weight 
of  the  pistons  themselves,  and  therefore  if  we  could  contrive 
to  balance  the  piston  by  the  weight  upon  the  wheels,  we- 
should  get  rid  of  that  very  much.'  At  all  events,  from  what- 
ever cause  the  motion  may  arise,  the  oscillations  are  very 
considerable  in  some  of  these  long  engines,  and  such  as  can 
scarcely  be  considered  safe  at  high  velocities.  This  great 
length  of  engine  is,  however,  by  no  means  essential  to  the 
attainment  of  high  speeds  on  Narrow  Gauge  lines. 

We  found,  by  timing  the  express  trains  on  four  different 
journeys  on  the  South  Western  line,  in  both  directions,  that 


346  Appendix. 

the  whole  distance  was  performed  very  satisfactorily  in  about 
i  hour  and  52  minutes,  including  the  time  of  two  stop- 
pages, being  at  an  average  rate  of  41  miles  per  hour,  on  a 
line  which,  in  one  direction,  rises  for  a  length  of  more  than 
40  miles  on  a  very  prevailing  gradient  of  I  in  330,  and  in  the 
other  rises  for  several  miles  on  a  gradient  of  I  in  250.  On 
each  occasion  a  distance  of  5  miles  on  a  level  part  of  the 
road,  was  passed  at  the  rate  of  53  miles  per  hour.  The 
length  of  the  engine  boiler  was  only  8  feet  7  inches  ;  the 
driving  wheels  6  feet  6  inches  in  diameter ;  the  lead- 
ing wheels  had  both  inside  and  outside  bearings.  The 
diameter  of  the  cylinder  in  one  case  was  15  inches,  in  the 
others  14^  inches,  both  outside,  and  attached  to  the  smoke- 
box. 

In  proceeding  to  compare  the  locomotive  engines,  we 
remark,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  fire-boxes,  boilers,  etc.,  of 
the  Narrow  Gauge  engines  still  possess  a  smaller  evaporating 
power  than  those  of  the  Broad  Gauge  engines,  although 
recent  attempts  have  been  made  to  raise  the  former  to  the 
level  of  the  latter ;  but  those  attempts  have  not  succeeded  ; 
and  it  is  indisputable  that,  whatever  can  be  done  for  the 
Narrow  Gauge,  in  this  respect,  can  be  surpassed  on  the 
Broad  Gauge.  And  we  concur  in  opinion  with  many  of  the 
ablest  engineers,  who  have  stated  that  the  engines  of  both 
Gauges  have  nearly  obtained  the  speed  and  power  which  it 
would  be  justifiable  to  employ  in  reference  to  the  present 
strength  of  the  rails  and  the  firmness  of  the  earthworks.  We 
remark,  in  the  next  place,  that  the  diameter  of  the  driving 
wheels  of  the  Broad  Gauge  engines  is  greater  than  that  of 
the  driving  wheels  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  engines ;  and 
although  in  many  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  engines  the  use 
of  the  external  cylinder  has  enabled  the  manufacturers  to 
bring  the  boilers  nearer  to  the  driving  wheel  axle,  and  has 
thus  permitted  an  increase  of  the  diameter  of  the  wheel, 
still  it  is  always  in  the  power  of  the  constructors  of  Broad 
Gauge  engines  to  make  a  corresponding  change,  and  thus 
to  maintain  the  superiority :  for  the  larger  diameter  of  the 
wheel  is  unquestionably  favourable  to  high  speed,  both  be- 
cause the  steam  is  used  to  greater  advantage,  and  because 
the  alternating  shocks  upon  the  machinery  are  less  rapid. 
It  is,  however,  extremely  difficult  to  say  at  what  speeds 
this  advantage  becomes  appreciable.  We  think  it  likely 
that,  as  far  as  the  speeds  of  40  miles  an  hour,  there  is  no 
great  difference  between  the  two,  but  that  for  speeds  of 
50  or  60  miles  an  hour,  the  difference  may  be  worthy  of 


Appendix.  347 

notice.  It  becomes  important,  then,  to  inquire  what  may 
be  the  greatest  speed  that  will  probably  be  desired  or 
maintained  on  railways  for  ordinary  purposes. 

It  is  certain  that  the  wishes  of  the  public  will  be  limited 
only  by  considerations  of  economy  and  safety.  The  greater 
the  speed  the  greater  will  be  the  cost,  and  it  appears  to  be 
the  opinion  of  many  of  the  officers  of  railways  that  it  would 
be  difficult  to  maintain  with  safety  the  present  express  speeds 
upon  the  great  trunk  railways. 

Impediments  to  maintaining  the  present  Express  Speed. — 
The  chief  of  these  are — ist.  The  difficulty  of  arranging  the 
trains,  where  the  traffic  is  frequent,  so  that  the  fast  trains 
shall  be  entirely  protected  from  the  chance  of  interfering  with, 
or  coming  into  collision  with,  the  slower  trains,  or  those  that 
stop  at  numerous  stations.  2d.  The  difficulty  of  seeing  sig- 
nals, especially  in  foggy  weather,  in  time  to  enable  the  engine 
driver  to  stop  the  fast  trains.  We  feel  it  a  duty  to  observe 
here  that  the  public  are  mainly  indebted  for  the  present  rate 
of  speed,  and  the  increased  accommodation  of  the  railway 
carriages,  to  the  genius  of  Mr  Brunei,  and  the  liberality  of  the 
Great  Western  Railway  Company.  As  regards  the  appli- 
cability of  the  atmospheric  principle  of  traction,  or  of  any 
other  principle  differing  from  the  locomotive,  we  see  no  differ- 
ence between  the  two  gauges. 

4.  Comparative  Economy. — This  next  demands  our  at- 
tention, tinder  this  head  we  have  to  consider  the  cost  of 
construction,  the  purchase  of  the  plant,  which  consists  of 
engines,  of  carriages,  and  of  other  carrying  stock  ;  and  lastly, 
the  cost 'of  working.  There  can  be  no  question  that  in  the 
first  construction  of  a  railway  the  narrower  the  gauge  the 
smaller  will  be  the  cost  of  the  works.  This  applies  to  tun- 
nels, bridges,  viaducts,  embankments,  cuttings,  sheds,  work- 
shops, turn-tables,  transverse  sleepers  and  ballast,  and  the 
purchase  of  land  ;  but  it  does  not  affect  the  rails,  fences, 
drains  and  station-houses.  The  exact  difference,  however, 
must  depend,  in  a  great  degree,  upon  local  circumstances,  and 
no  opinion  can  be  given  of  the  precise  ratio  of  difference  with- 
out going  into  a  very  minute  calculation  of  each  line  on  which 
the  two  systems  are  to  be  compared  ;  for  instance,  in  a  line 
free  from  tunnels  or  viaducts,  and  in  a  flat  country,  where 
there  are  neither  cuttings  nor  embankments,  the  difference 
would  be  limited  very  nearly  to  the  quantity  of  land  to  be 
purchased  (the  severance  and  damage  being  about  equal  in 
both  cases),  the  amount  of  ballasting,  and  some  increase  in 
the  cost  of  the  sleepers ;  whereas,  in  a  very  undulating 


348  Appendix. 

country  the  difference  would  be  more  considerable.  As  to 
the  cost  of  the  maintenance  of  way,  supposing  the  construc- 
tion to  be  the  same,  that  of  the  Broad  Gauge  must  be  rather 
the  greater  of  the  two. 

In  respect  to  the  cost  of  the  engines  and  carrying  stock,  we 
have  to  observe  that  they  are  generally  more  expensive  on 
the  Broad  than  on  the  Narrow  Gauge.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  is  asserted  by  the  advocates  of  the  Broad  Gauge 
system  that,  as  the  engines  will  draw  greater  loads,  as  the 
carriages  will  accommodate  a  greater  number  of  passengers, 
and  as  the  waggons  are  capable  of  conveying  a  larger  amount 
of  merchandise,  the  work  can  be  and  is  done  at  a  less  charge 
per  ton,  and  that  a  compensation  is  thus  obtained  for  the 
increased  outlay.  How  far  this  is  found  to  be  practically  the 
case  is  the  next  subject  for  inquiry.  We  were  very  desirous, 
if  it  had  been  found  possible,  thoroughly  to  investigate  this 
part  of  the  subject  by  means  of  the  official  data  called  for  by 
us,  and  furnished  by  some  of  the  principal  companies,  con- 
taining a  statement  of  their  working  expenses ;  but  we  find 
the  circumstances  so  different  that  very  little  satisfactory  in- 
formation can  be  thus  obtained  that  has  strictly  a  reference 
to  the  economy  of  the  two  gauges.  There  are,  of  course, 
various  matters  that  have  an  influence  on  the  actual  cost  of 
locomotive  power  and  general  traffic  charges,  that  are  in  no 
way  connected  with  the  breadth  of  gauge  ;  such  as  the  nature 
of  the  curves  and  gradients,  the  price  of  coke,  the  general 
nature  of  the  traffic,  the  mode  of  working  that  traffic  as 
adopted  by  different  companies,  the  employment  of  engines 
of  greater  or  less  power,  that  increased  accommodation  to  the 
public  which  involves  an  extra  expense  for  return  carriages, 
etc.,  etc. 

The  London  and  Birmingham,  and  the  Great  Western 
Railway,  as  Metropolitan  lines  of  great  traffic  and  of  con- 
siderable length,  would,  at  first  sight,  appear  to  furnish  the 
best  means  of  comparison,  and  there  is,  in  fact,  no  difficulty 
in  comparing  the  actual  expenses ;  but  these  lines  differ 
essentially  in  the  character  of  their  gradients,  and  in  the 
amount  of  traffic,  estimated  at  per  mile,  and,  above  all,  they 
differ  in  the  character  of  the  engines  they  employ.  The 
London  and  Birminghrm  Company  have,  from  the  com- 
mencement, persevered  in  the  use  of  light  four-wheeled 
engines,  while  the  Great  Western,  availing  themselves  of  the 
facilities  their  gauge  affords,  have  adopted  large  and  powerful 
engines,  which  are  worked  at  nearly  the  same  cost  per  mile 
as  the  former ;  and  if  such  engines  as  those  on  the  London 


Appendix.  349 

and  Birmingham  line  were  essential  to  the  Narrow  Gauge, 
the  question  as  to  the  economy  of  working  might  be  at  once 
decided  in  favour  of  the  Broad  Gauge,  but  this  is  by  no  means 
the  case ;  several  Narrow  Gauge  lines  employ  engines  of  great 
power,  and  work,  in  consequence,  much  more  cheaply  than 
the  London  and  Birmingham  ;  therefore  the  comparison  be- 
tween the  working  expenses  of  this  line  and  of  the  Great 
Western  can  only  be  considered  as  a  test  of  the  principle 
of  working  with  light  and  with  heavy  engines,  and  not 
as  furnishing  a  test  of  the  working  economy  of  the  two 
gauges. 

It  is  a  common  practice  with  different  railway  companies, 
in  their  half-yearly  reports  to  their  proprietors,  to  state  the 
percentage  of  their  various  expenses,  under  a  few  distinct 
heads;  as  compared  with  their  revenue ;  and  from  these  it 
appears  that  on  the  Great  Western  the  locomotive  charges, 
during  a  period  of  three  years,  have  varied  between  8.8  and 
1 1. 1,  averaging  9.7  per  cent,  on  their- income,  and  on  the 
London  and  Birmingham  they  have  varied,  within  the  same 
period,  between  7.9  and  10.36,  averaging  about  8.6  per  cent, 
on  their  income ;  and  therefore,  on  a  superficial  view  of  the 
question,  the  London  and  Birmingham  would  appear  to  have 
worked  their  line  at  a  cheaper  rate;  but  valid  objections 
have  been  made  to  this  comparison  on  the  part  of  the  Great 
Western  ;  because  it  is  obvious,  from  the  several  returns  we 
have  received,  that  the  London  and  Birmingham  Company 
has  far  the  more  abundant  traffic  per  mile,  and  ought  there- 
fore to  be  expected  to  perform  its  work  at  a  less  percentage 
on  its  income.  It  has  been  stated  by  Mr  Gooch  that,  as 
locomotive  superintendent  on  the  Great  Western,  he  is  called 
upon  to  supply  a  certain  amount  of  locomotive  power,  and 
that  the  cost  of  such  power  is  almost  entirely  irrespective  of 
the  load  or  number  of  passengers  it  is  made  to  draw ;  but 
that  these  numbers  are  of  great  importance  in  comparing  the 
locomotive  expenses  with  the  revenue. 

In  page  27  of  the  Appendix  to  this  Report,  an  abstract  and 
comparative  table  are  given,  founded  on  returns  furnished  by 
the  Great  Western  and  London  and  Birmingham  Railway 
Companies,  showing  that  the  revenue  derived  from  the  pas- 
sengers train  is  64  per  cent,  greater  per  mile  worked,  on  the 
latter  than  on  the  former  line.  It  must  therefore  be  obvious 
that,  as  a  test  of  economy  for  working,  we  cannot  adopt  the 
principle  of  a  percentage  on  the  revenue,  neither  will  the  cost 
per  mile  run  give  a  more  just  comparison  as  to  the  economy 
of  the  two  systems,  because  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the 


3  5  o  Appendix. 

London  and  Birmingham  Company  have  been  conveying 
their  traffic  with  engines  of  inadequate  power,  and  that  great 
economy  would  result  to  them  by  the  adoption  of  larger 
engines.  Other  difficulties  also  occur  in  the  comparison  of 
these  expenses  on  different  lines,  in  consequence  of  the 
difference  in  the  form  of  the  accounts,  and  of  the  circum- 
stance of  one  company  adopting  the  principle  of  having  a 
reserve  fund  for  renewals,  and  other  companies  having  no 
such  fund. 

Working  Expenses  of  Great  Western  as  a  Narrow  Gauge 
Line. — We  are  therefore  of  opinion  that  the  most  satisfactory 
comparison  that  can  be  made  of  the  economy  of  working  the 
two  gauges  will  be  by  applying  to  first  principles,  endeavour- 
ing merely  to  determine  what  the  working  expenses  of  the 
Great  Western  line,  with  their  present  amount  of  traffic, 
would  have  been,  provided  it  had  been  made  a  Narrow  Gauge 
line,  and  worked  with  such  engines  as  those  employed  on  the 
South  Western  and  some  other  Narrow  Gauge  lines.  The 
average  weight  of  a  passenger  train  on  the  Great  Western 
Railway  (independent  of  the  engine  and  tender,  which  weigh 
33  tons)  appears,  by  the  returns  sent  to  us,  to  be  67  tons ; 
and  the  average  number  of  passengers  per  train  for  the  half- 
year  ending  the  3<Dth  of  June  1845  is  only  47.2,  whilst  the 
weight,  including  their  luggage,  may  be  estimated  at  about 
5  tons.  Mr  Gooch  estimates  each  carnage  and  its  pas- 
sengers on  the  Broad  Gauge  to  weigh  about  g\  tons,  and 
therefore  there  would  be  seven  carriages  to  make  up  the  67 
tons  above  specified.  The  most  commodious  carriages  on 
the  Narrow  Gauge  lines,  such  as  those  on  the  South  Western, 
weigh  less  than  5  tons ;  seven  such  carriages  would  there- 
fore weigh  about  34  tons,  and  being  capable  of  containing  126 
first-class  passengers,  weighing,  with  their  luggage,  \2\  tons, 
the  total  load  would  be  only  46^  tons.  Now  we  find  that, 
even  with  a  traffic  as  large  as  that  of  the  London  and 
Birmingham  Railway,  the  average  per  train  would  only  be 
84.9  passengers,  weighing  about  8  tons  ;  so  that,  under  the 
supposition  of  a  traffic  of  this  extent,  the  load  of  the  seven 
Narrow  Gauge  carriages  so  occupied  would  only  be  42  tons. 
But  Mr  Gooch  estimates,  from  his  own  experiments,  the 
relative  powers  of  traction  of  the  Broad  Gauge  engines,  and 
of  the  Narrow  Gauge  engines  of  the  South  Western  Railway 
when  working  at  the  same  speed,  as  2067  to  1 398,  or  as  67, 
the  load  of  the  Broad  Gauge  in  tons,  to  45  tons,  which  would 
be  the  corresponding  load  for  the  Narrow  Gauge  ;  so  that  the 
Narrow  Gauge  engine  has  more  power  over  the  42  tons  it 


Appendix.  3  5 1 

would  have  to  draw  than  the  Broad  Gauge  has  over  its 
average  load  of  67  tons,  both  exclusive  of  the  weight  of  the 
engine  and  tender  —  the  Narrow  Gauge  carriage  in  this 
supposition  being  supposed  to  contain  84.9  passengers,  and 
the  Broad  Gauge  only  47.2.  If,  however,  it  were  necessary, 
224  first-class  passengers  might  be  placed  in  the  seven  Broad 
Gauge  carriages,  and,  as  it  has  before  been  said,  126  in  the 
seven  Narrow  Gauge  carriages  ;  but  it  appears  likely  that 
this  extent  of  accommodation  would  only  be  called  for  on 
such  rare  occasions  that  the  question  of  providing  for  it, 
except  by  assistant  power,  cannot  be  taken  into  consideration 
in  the  present  comparison. 

It  is  obvious,  from  the  foregoing  statement,  that  the 
Narrow  Gauge  engine  of  the  class  we  have  been  considering 
has  more  power  over  the  seven  Narrow  Gauge  carriages  and 
a  load  of  126  passengers,  than  the  Broad  Gauge  engine  has 
over  the  seven  Broad  Gauge  carriages  and  the  load  of  the 
same  number  of  passengers  ;  and  that,  therefore,  if  the 
Great  Western  had  been  a  Narrow  instead  of  a  Broad  Gauge 
line,  the  South  Western  engines  would  have  had  the  same 
command  over  the  existing  passenger  traffic  of  the  Great 
Western  as  its  own  engines  now  have  with  the  present  con- 
struction of  that  railway.  We  must  remark,  however,  that 
this  calculation  is  for  trains  consisting  exclusively  of 
passengers  and  their  personal  luggage.  In  the  Great 
Western  average  trains  of  67  tons  there  is  an  allowance  of 
about  1 6  tons  for  passengers  and  luggage,  including  gentle- 
men's carriages.  Allowing  the  same  weight  of  luggage  on 
the  Narrow  Gauge  line,  the  train  would  still  not  exceed  50 
tons,  which  is  considerably  within  the  power  of  the  Narrow 
Gauge  engine.  For  it  appears,  by  the  experiments  that  have 
been  recently  made  on  the  Great  Western  Railway,  the 
details  of  which  are  given  in  the  Appendix  to  the  evidence, 
that  the  Great  Western  engine  is  capable  of  propelling  83 
tons  at  a  greater  speed  than  the  average  speed  of  that  line ; 
.and,  consequently,  by  the  proportion  above  stated,  the 
Narrow  Gauge  engine  would  be  capable  of  propelling  55  tons 
at  the  same  rate.  We  conclude,  therefore,  that  the  work 
would  be  performed  at  about  the  same  expense  for  loco- 
motive power.  That  there  may  be  cases  in  which  not  only 
the  full  power  of  a  Broad  Gauge  engine  is  required,  but  even 
the  assistance  of  a  second  engine,  is  quite  certain,  but  such 
trains  form  the  exception  and  not  the  rule  in  railway 
passenger  traffic,  and  we  doubt  the  soundness  of  a  prin- 
ciple which  involves  a  great  expense  in  construction,  for 


35 2  Appendix. 

the   sake   of  possessing   capabilities   so   seldom   called    into 
action.* 

It  is  proper  to  observe  that  the  foregoing  comparison 
would  have  appeared  to  stand  more  in  favour  of  the  Narrow 
Gauge  had  we  taken  for  the  engine  of  comparison  one  of 
those  engines  of  whose  increased  capabilities  some  of  the 
supporters  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  system  have  informed  us  ; 
but  we  have  preferred  the  comparison  afforded  with  the 
South  Western  engine,  from  its  being  the  one  on  which  Mr 
Gooch,  of  the  Great  Western  Railway,  superintended  the 
recorded  experiments, — hence,  our  deductions  are  made  from 
data  furnished  by  the  advocates  of  the  Broad  Gauge  system, 
without  drawing  anything  from  the  evidence  on  the  other 
side ;  and  as  these  deductions  sufficiently  demonstrate  that 
there  is  no  economy  in  the  locomotive  expenses  for  passenger 
trains  resulting  from  working  a  line  on  the  Broad  Gauge 
system,  even  on  such  lines  of  those  which  have  at  the  present 
moment  the  most  abundant  passenger  traffic,  any  analysation 
of  the  evidence  offered  in  support  of  the  Narrow  Gauge 
system  appears  to  us  to  be  quite  superfluous. 

There  is  one  point,  however,  stated  in  Mr  Gooch's 
comparative  table,  and  repeated  in  his  evidence,  which 
appears  so  much  at  variance  with  the  results  obtained 
from  other  data,  as  to  require  explanation.  Mr  Gooch 
has  asserted  that  the  Great  Western  Company  work  their 
passenger  trains  at  half  the  expense  per  ton  at  which  the 
London  and  Birmingham  Company  work  their  passenger 
trains.  The  fact  is,  however,  that  Mr  Gooch's  calculations 
refer  to  the  gross  and  not  to  the  net  loads  :  and,  therefore, 
the  comparison  is  not  applicable  so  far  as  regards  the  profits 
of  these  companies,  and  affords  no  proof  of  economy  in  work- 
ing the  passenger  traffic  on  the  Great  Western  system. 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  judging  both  from  Mr  Brunei's 
evidence  given  to  us,  and  from  his  Report  to  the  Directors 
of  the  Great  Western  Railway  Company,  that  he  originally 
expected  there  would  be  on  the  Great  Western  Railway  a 
demand  for  carrying  a  great  number  of  passengers  at  high 
velocities  ;  but  from  his  own  evidence  it  appears  that  the 
only  heavy  passenger  traffic  upon  that  railway  is  between 
London  and  Reading,  and  between  Bath  and  Bristol,  being 
a  total  distance  of  about  50  miles  out  of  the  245. 

*  It  appears  that  during  the  half-year  ending  the  3Oth  June  1845,  the  number 
of  miles  run  by  coupled  and  assisting  engines  for  passenger  trains  on  the  Great 
Western  Railway  amounted  to  11,628,  and  for  goods  trains  to  51,155.  The  total 
number  of  miles  run  by  the  former  trains  being  761,483,  and  of  the  latter  159,324- 


Appendix.  353 

On  the  remaining  part  of  the  line  the  passenger  traffic 
per  train  is  small. 

If  the  convenience  of  the  public  would  admit  of  the  whole 
of  the  passenger  traffic  of  this  portion  of  the  line  being  con- 
veyed daily  by  two  or  three  large  trains,  Mr  Brunei's  views 
would  have  been  perfectly  correct  in  providing  such  power- 
ful means  ;  but  experience  has  proved  that  the  public  require 
passenger  trains  to  be  run  many  times  during  the  day,  and 
with  this  frequency  of  trains,  such  numbers  of  passengers  as 
Mr  Brunei  has  provided  for  cannot  be  expected  even  on  rail- 
ways of  the  largest  traffic,  so  that  practically  there  is  a  waste 
both  of  power  and  of  means.  In  the  case  of '  goods  traffic,' 
the  circumstances  are  not  the  same  ;  railway  conveyance  for 
merchandise  seems  only  to  be  required  a  few  times  in  each 
day,  and  the  trains  are  generally  large.  The  '  through ' 
waggons  have  for  the  most  part  a  full  load,  and  the  dispro- 
portion between  the  gross  and  the  net  weight  is  consequently 
much  less  than  in  the  passenger  trairjs;  still,  however,  it 
appears  from  the  evidence  of  Mr  Home,  and  of  other  persons 
connected  with  the  carrying  trade,  that  on  the  London  and 
Birmingham  Railway  it  frequently  happens  that  waggons 
are  forwarded  to  a  considerable  distance,  to  '  road-side 
stations,'  containing  not  more  than  a  ton  of  goods ;  and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  must  happen  on  any  long 
line  of  railway.  The  same  also  occurs  in  waggons  coming  in 
from  branches  along  the  trunk  line,  and  in  all  such  cases  the 
heavy,  large  waggon  of  the  Broad  Gauge  must  be  disadvan- 
tageous ;  but  although  the  evil  is  not  so  great  with  goods 
waggons  of  the  Broad  Gauge  as  with  their  passenger  carriages, 
still  the  loss  by  dead  weight  is  greater  with  these  than  with 
smaller  waggons,  and  we  do  not  perceive  any  advantages  in 
the  Broad  Gauge  to  counterbalance  it ;  for  where  speed  is  not 
an  object,  and  this  is  the  case  with  goods  trains,  we  believe, 
from  the  evidence  we  have  received,  that  engines  of  nearly  the 
same  tractive  power  are  to  be  found  on  many  Narrow  Gauge 
lines  as  those  in  use  on  the  Broad  Gauge. 

Thus  far  we  have  considered  the  question  with  reference 
to  the  railways  as  they  now  exist,  and  composed  in  a  great 
measure  of  trunk  lines  of  considerable  traffic  ;  but  the  railways 
to  be  made  in  future  will  in  some  degree  be  branches  or  lines 
in  districts  having  traffic  of  less  magnitude  than  is  to  be  pro- 
vided for  in  the  existing  railways  ;  and  hence,  if  for  the 
greater  trunk  lines  a  superiority  were  due  to  the  Broad  Gauge 
system,  that  superiority  would  be  less  for  lines  yet  to  be  con- 
structed of  a  smaller  amount  of  traffic  ;  and  necessarily,  if  the 


354  Appendix. 

preferenc  ewere  given  to  the  Narrow  Gauge  for  the  existing 
lines,  that  system  would  be  still  more  entitled  to  the  preference 
for  the  railways  of  smaller  traffic  to  which  we  look  forward. 

Experiments  on  the  Gauges. — We  must  here  add  that, 
towards  the  close  of  our  inquiry,  Mr  Brunei  requested,  on  the 
part  of  the  Broad  Gauge  companies,  to  institute  a  set  of  ex- 
periments to  test  the  power  of  their  engines  ;  and  Mr  Bidder, 
on  the  part  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  companies,  undertook,  in 
consequence  of  such  application,  to  make  corresponding  ex- 
periments on  the  Narrow  Gauge.  After  sanctioning  these 
trials,  and  being  present  at  the  performance  of  them,  we  may 
observe,  without  entering  into  a  minute  detail  of  the  results, 
of  the  discrepancies  between  the  returns  as  furnished  by  the 
two  parties  themselves,  that  we  consider  them  as  confirming 
the  statements  and  results  given  by  Mr  Gooch  in  his  evidence, 
proving,  as  they  do,  that  the  Broad  Gauge  engines  possess 
greater  capabilities  for  speed  with  equal  loads,  and,  generally 
speaking,  of  propelling  greater  loads  with  equal  speed ;  and, 
moreover,  that  the  working  with  such  engines  is  economical 
where  very  high  speeds  are  required,  or  where  the  loads  to  be 
conveyed  are  such  as  to  require  the  full  power  of  the  engine. 
They  confirm,  also,  the  evidence  given  by  Mr  Bidder  as  to 
the  possibility  of  obtaining  high  evaporative  power  with  long 
engines  for  the  Narrow  Gauge,  but  under  somewhat  peculiar 
circumstances.  It  appears,  moreover,  that  the  evaporation 
thus  obtained  does  not  produce  a  corresponding  useful  effect 
in  the  tractive  power  of  the  engine ;  a  circumstance  that 
would  probably  be  differently  explained  by  Mr  Gooch  and 
by  Mr  Bidder ;  but  as  we  do  not  refer  to  the  power  of  this 
description  of  engine  in  the  deductions  we  have  made,  it  is 
unnecessary  for  us  to  allude  further  to  them. 


GENERAL  CONCLUSION. 

After  a  full  consideration  of  all  the  circumstances  that 
have  come  before  us,  and  of  all  the  deductions  we  have  made 
from  the  evidence,  we  are  led  to  conclude  : — 

First.  That  as  regards  the  safety,  accommodation  and  con- 
venience of  the  passengers,  no  decided  preference  is  due  to 
either  gauge,  but  that  on  the  Broad  Gauge  the  motion  is 
generally  more  easy  at  high  velocities. 

Secondly.  That  in  respect  of  speed,  we  consider  the  ad- 
vantages are  with  the  Broad  Gauge,  but  we  think  the  public 
safety  would  be  endangered  in  employing  the  greater 


Appendix.  355 

capabilities  of  the  Broad  Gauge  much  beyond  their  present 
use,  except  on  roads  more  consolidated  and  more  substantially 
and  perfectly  formed  than  those  of  the  existing  lines. 

Thirdly.  That  in  the  commercial  case  of  the  transport  of 
goods,  we  believe  the  Narrow  Gauge  to  possess  the  greater 
convenience,  and  to  be  the  more  suited  to  the  general  traffic 
of  the  country. 

Fourthly.  That  the  Broad  Gauge  involves  the  greater  outlay, 
and  that  we  have  not  been  able  to  discover,  either  in  the 
maintenance  of  way,  in  the  cost  of  locomotive  power,  or  in 
the  other  annual  expenses,  any  adequate  reduction  to  com- 
pensate for  the  additional  first  cost. 

Therefore,  esteeming  the  importance  of  the  highest  speed 
on  express  trains  for  the  accommodation  of  a  comparatively 
small  number  of  persons,  however  desirable  that  may  be  to 
them,  as  of  far  less  moment  than  of  affording  increased  con- 
venience to  the  general  commercial  traffic,  we  are  inclined  to 
consider  the  Narrow  Gauge  as  that  which  should  be  preferred 
for  general  convenience;  and,  therefore,  if  it  were  imperative  to 
produce  uniformity,  we  should  recommend  that  uniformity 
to  be  produced  by  an  alteration  of  the  Broad  to  the  Narrow 
Gauge,  more  especially  when  we  take  into  consideration  that 
the  extent  of  the  former  at  present  in  work  is  only  274  miles, 
while  that  of  the  latter  is  not  less  than  1901  miles,  and  that 
the  alteration  of  the  former  to  the  latter,  even  if  of  equal 
length,  would  be  the  less  costly,  as  well  as  the  less  difficult 
-operation. 

We  are  desirous,  however,  of  guarding  ourselves  from 
being  supposed  to  express  an  opinion  that  the  dimension  of 
4  feet  8|  inches  is  in  all  respects  the  most  suited  for  the  general 
objects  of  the  country.  Some  of  the  engineers  who  have 
bt-en  examined  by  us  have  given  it  as  their  opinion  that  5 
feet  would  be  the  best  dimension  for  a  railway  gauge,  others 
have  suggested  5  feet  3  inches,  5  feet  6  inches,  and  even  6 
feet,  but  none  have  recommended  so  great  a  breadth  as  7 
feet,  except  those  who  are  more  particularly  interested  in  the 
Broad  Gauge  lines.  Again,  some  engineers  of  eminence 
contend  that  a  gauge  of  4  feet  8|  inches  gives  ample  space 
for  the  machinery  of  the  engine  and  all  the  railway  require- 
ments, and  would  recommend  no  change  to  be  made  in  the 
gauge. 

We  may  observe,  in  reference  to  this  part  of  the  question 
that  the  Eastern  Counties  Railway  was  originally  constructed 
on  a  gauge  of  5  feet,  and  has  since  been  converted  into  a 
gauge  of  4  feet  8|  inches,  to  avoid  a  break  of  gauge  ;  and  we 


356  Appendix. 

have  been  informed  that  some  lines  in  Scotland,  originally  on 
the  gauge  of  5  feet  3  inches,  are  about  to  be  altered  to  4  feet 
8|  inches  for  the  same  reason. 

Whatever  might  be  the  preferable  course  were  the  question 
now  to  be  discussed  of  the  gauge  for  an  entire  system  of  rail- 
ways, where  none  previously  existed  to  clash  with  the  decision, 
yet  under  the  present  state  of  things  we  see  no  sufficient 
reason  to  suggest  or  recommend  the  adoption  of  any  gauge 
intermediate  between  the  Narrow  Gauge  of  4  feet  8|  inches, 
and  the  Broad  Gauge  of  7  feet,  and  we  are  peculiarly  struck 
by  the  circumstance  that  almost  all  the  Continental  railways 
have  been  formed  upon  the  4  feet  8|  inch  gauge,  the  greater 
number  having  been  undertaken,  after  a  long  experience  of 
both  the  Broad  and  the  Narrow  Gauge  in  this  country  ;  nor 
must  the  fact  be  lost  sight  of,  that  some  of  these  railways 
have  been  constructed  as  \vell  as  planned  by  English 
engineers,  and  amongst  that  number  we  find  Mr  Brunei,  the 
original  projector  of  the  Broad  Gauge.  Mr  Brunei  was  also 
the  engineer  of  the  Merthyr  Tydvil  and  Cardiff  Line,  which  is 
on  the  4  feet  8|  inch  gauge  ;  and  we  think  that  the  motives 
which  led  to  his  adoption  of  the  Narrow  Gauge  in  that  in- 
stance would  equally  apply  to  many  English  lines. 

We  are  sensible  of  the  importance,  in  ordinary  circum- 
stances, of  leaving  commercial  enterprise  as  well  as  the 
genius  of  scientific  men  unfettered  ;  we  therefore  feel  that  the 
restriction  of  the  gauge  is  a  measure  that  should  not  be 
lightly  entertained  ;  and  we  are  willing  to  admit,  were  it  not 
for  the  great  evil  that  must  inevitably  be  experienced  when 
lines  of  unequal  gauges  come  into  contact,  that  varying 
gradients,  curves  and  traffic,  might  justify  some  difference  in 
the  breadth  of  gauge.  This  appears  to  be  the  view  which  Mr 
Brunei  originally  took  of  the  subject ;  for  the  Great  Western 
proper  is  a  line  of  unusually  good  gradients,  on  which  a  large 
passenger  traffic  was  anticipated,  and  as  it  touched  but 
slightly  on  any  mineral  district,  it  embraced  all  the  conveni- 
ences and  advantages  of  the  Broad  Gauge  system,  and  was 
comparatively  free  from  the  influence  of  those  defects  on 
which  we  have  commented  ;  but  such  a  breadth  of  gauge, 
however  suitable  and  applicable  it  may  have  originally  been 
considered  to  its  particular  district,  appears  wholly  in- 
applicable, or  at  least  very  ill-suited,  to  the  requirements  of 
many  of  our  northern  and  midland  lines. 

In  reference  to  the  branches  already  in  connection  with 
the  Great  Western  Railway,  we  may  observe  that  the  greatest 
average  train  on  the  Oxford  branch,  for  two  weeks  in  July 


Appendix.  357 

and  October  was  only  48  tons ;  on  the  Cheltenham 
branch  it  did  not  exceed  46 ;  between  Bristol  and  Exeter 
53;  and  between  Swindon  and  Bristol,  it  was  under 
60  tons.  With  such  a  limited  traffic  the  power  of  the 
Broad  Gauge  seems  beyond  the  requirements  of  these 
districts. 

We  find,  from  an  estimate  furnished  to  us,  and  the  general 
grounds  of  which  we  see  no  reason  to  dispute,  that  the  ex- 
pense of  altering  the  existing  Broad  Gauge  to  Narrow  Gauge 
lines,  including  the  alteration  or  substitution  of  locomotives 
and  carrying  stock,  would  not  much  exceed  .£1,000,000;  yet 
we  neither  feel  that  we  can  recommend  the  Legislature  to 
sanction  such  an  expense  from  the  public  moneys,  nor  do  we 
think  that  the  companies  to  which  the  Broad  Gauge  railways 
belong  can  be  called  upon  to  incur  such  an  expense  them- 
selves (having  made  all  their. works  with  the  authority  of 
Parliament),  nor  even  the  more  limited  expense  of  laying 
down  intermediate  rails,  for  Narrow  Gauge  traffic.  Still  less 
can  we  propose,  for  any  advantage  that  has  been  suggested, 
the  alteration  of  the  whole  of  the  railways  of  Great  Britain, 
with  their  carrying  stock  and  engines,  to  some  intermediate 
gauge.  The  outlay  in  this  case  would  be  very  much  more 
considerable  than  the  sum  above  mentioned  ;  and  the  evil, 
inconvenience,  and  danger  to  the  traveller,  and  the  interrup- 
tion to  the  whole  traffic  of  the  country  for  a  considerable 
period,  and  almost  at  one  and  the  same  time,  would  be  such 
that  this  change  cannot  be  seriously  entertained. 


PRACTICAL  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

Guided  by  the  foregoing  considerations,  we  must  dutifully 
submit  to  your  Majesty  the  following  recommendations  : — 

First.  That  the  gauge  of  4  feet  8|  inches  be  declared  by 
the  Legislature  to  be  the  gauge  to  be  used  in  all  public  rail- 
ways now  under  construction,  or  hereafter  to  be  constructed 
in  Great  Britain. 

Second.  That,  unless  by  the  consent  of  the  Legislature,  it 
should  not  be  permitted  to  the  directors  of  any  railway  company 
to  alter  the  gauge  of  such  railway. 

Third.  That  in  order  to  complete  the  general  chain  of 
Narrow  Gauge  communication  from  the  North  of  England  to 
the  Southern  Coast,  any  suitable  measure  should  be  promoted 
to  form  a  Narrow  Gauge  link  from  Oxford  to  Reading,  and 
thence  to  Basingstoke,  or  by  any  shorter  route  connecting  the 


358  Appendix. 

proposed  Rugby  and  Oxford  Line  with  the  South  Western 
Railway. 

Fourth.  That  as  any  junction  to  be  formed  with  a  Broad 
Gauge  line  would  involve  a  break  of  gauge,  provided  our  first 
recommendation  be  adopted,  great  commercial  convenience 
would  be  obtained  by  reducing  the  gauge  of  the  present 
Broad  Gauge  lines  to  the  Narrow  Gauge  of  4  feet  8|  inches  ; 
and  we  therefore  think  it  desirable  that  some  equitable 
means  should  be  found  of  producing  such  centre  uniformity  of 
gauge,  or  of  adopting  such  other  course  as  would  admit  of 
the  Narrow  Gauge  carriages  passing,  without  interruption  or 
danger,  along  the  Broad  Gauge  lines. 

(Signed)  J.  M.  FREDERIC  SMITH,         (L.S.) 

Limt.-  Colonel  Royal  Engineers. 

G.  B.  AIRY,  (L.S.) 

Astronomer  Royal. 

PETER  BARLOW.  (L.S.) 


APPENDIX     C. 

MR  BRUNEL'S  REPORT  TO  THE  SOUTH  DEVON  RAILWAY 
DIRECTORS,  URGING  THE  ADOPTION  OF  THE  ATMO- 
SPHERIC SYSTEM. 

I  HAVE  given  much  consideration  to  the  question  referred  to 
me  by  you  at  your  last  meeting,  namely,  that  of  the  advan- 
tage of  the  application  of  the  Atmospheric  System  to  the 
South  Devon  Railway.  The  question  is  not  new  to  me,  as  I 
have  foreseen  the  possibility  of  its  arising,  and  have  fre- 
quently considered  it. 

I  shall  assume,  an^  I  am  not  aware  that  it  is  disputed  by 
anybody,  that  stationary  power,  if  freed  from  the  weight  and 
friction  of  any  medium  of  communication,  such  as  a  rope, 
must  be  cheaper,  is  more  under  command  and  is  susceptible 
of  producing  much  higher  speeds  than  locomotive  power  ;  and 
when  it  is  considered  that  for  high  speeds,  such  as  60  miles 
an  hour,  the  locomotive  engine  with  its  tender  cannot  weigh 
much  less  than  half  of  the  gross  weight  of  the  train,  the 
advantage  and  economy  of  dispensing  with  the  necessity  of 
putting  this  great  weight  also  in  motion  will  be  evident.  I 
must  assume,  also,  that  as  a  means  of  applying  stationary 
power,  the  Atmospheric  System  has  been  successful,  and  that, 
unless  where  under  some  very  peculiar  circumstances  it  is 
unapplicable,  it  is  a  good  economical  mode  of  applying 
stationary  power. 

I  am  aware  that  this  opinion  is  directly  opposed  to  that  of 
Mr  Robert  Stephenson,  who  has  written  and  published  an 
elaborate  statement  of  experiments  and  calculations  founded 
upon  them,  the  results  of  which  support  his  opinion.  It  does 
not  seem  to  me  that  we  can  obtain  the  minute  data  required 
for  the  mathematical  investigation  of  such  a  question,  and 
that  such  calculations,  dependent  as  they  are  upon  an  un- 
attained  precision  in  experiments,  are  as  likely  to  lead  you 
very  far  from  the  truth  as  not.  By  the  same  mode  M.  Mallet 
and  other  French  engineers  have  proved  the  success  of  the 
system  ;  and  by  the  same  mode  of  investigation  Dr  Lardner 

359 


360  Appendix. 

arrived  at  all  those  results  regarding  steam  navigation  and 
the  speed  to  be  attained  on  railways  which  have  since  proved 
so  erroneous.  Experience  has  led  me  to  prefer  what  some 
may  consider  a  more  superficial,  and  what  I  should  call  a 
more  general  and  broader  view,  and  more  capable  of  embrac- 
ing all  the  conditions  of  the  question — a  practical  view. 

Having  considered  the  subject  for  several  years  past,  I 
have  cautiously,  and  without  any  cause  for  a  favourable  bias, 
formed  an  opinion,  which  subsequent  experiments  at  Dalkey 
have  fully  proved  to  be  correct;  viz.,  that  the  mere  mechani- 
cal difficulties  can  be  overcome,  and  that  the  full  effect  of  the 
partial  vacuum,  produced  by  an  air-pump,  can  be  communi- 
cated, without  any  loss  or  friction  worth  taking  into  considera- 
tion, to  a  piston  attached  to  the  train.  In  this  point  of  view, 
the  experiment  at  Dalkey  has  entirely  succeeded.  A  system 
of  machinery,  which,  even  at  the  first  attempt,  works  without 
interruption,  and,  constantly,  for  many  months  may  be  con- 
sidered practically  to  be  free  from  any  mechanical  objection. 
No  locomotive  line  that  I  have  been  connected  with  has  been 
equally  free  from  accidents.  That  which  is  true  for  one  rail- 
way of  2  miles  in  length,  is  equally  true  for  a  second  or  third 
although  they  may  be  placed  the  one  at  the  end  of  the  other ; 
the  chances  of  an  accident  are  only  in  the  proportion  ot  the 
number,  or,  in  other  words,  the  length,  a  proportion  which 
holds  equally  good  with  locomotives,  except  that  a  locomotive 
may  be  affected  by  the  distance  it  has  previously  run,  while  a 
stationary  engine  and  its  pipes  cannot  in  like  manner  be 
affected  by  the  previous  working  of  the  neighbouring  engine 
and  pipes.  In  my  opinion,  the  Atmospheric  System  is,  so 
far  as  any  stationary  power  can  be,  as  applicable  to  a  great 
length  of  line  as  it  is  to  a  short  one.  Upon  all  these  points 
I  could  advance  many  arguments  and  many  proofs,  but  I 
shall  content  myself  with  saying  that,  as  a  professional  man, 
I  express  a  decided  opinion  that,  as  a  mechanical  contrivance, 
the  Atmospheric  apparatus  has  succeeded  perfectly  as  an 
effective  means  of  working  trains  by  stationary  power,  whether 
on  long  or  short  lines,  at  higher  velocity  and  with  less  chance 
of  interruption  than  is  now  effected  by  locomotives. 

I  will  now  proceed  to  consider  the  question  of  the  advan- 
tage of  its  application  to  the  South  Devon  Railway.  It  will 
simplify  the  discussion  of  the  question  very  much  if  it  is 
considered  as  a  comparison  between  a  double  line  worked  by 
locomotives  in  the  usual  manner,  and  a  single  line  of  railway 
worked  by  stationary  power,  the  only  peculiarity  of  the  present 
case  being  that  upon  four  separate  portions  of  the  whole 


Appendix.  361 

52  miles,  stationary  assistant  power  would,  under  any  circum- 
stances, have  been  used,  these  four  inclines  forming  together 
one-fifth  of  the  whole  distance. 

It  is  necessary  to  consider  it  as  a  question  of  a  single  line 
on  account  of  the  expense,  the  cost  of  the  pipe  for  each  line 
being  about  .£3500  per  mile.  An  addition  of  .£7000  per  mile, 
or  of  about  .£330,000  in  the  first  construction,  could  not  be 
counterbalanced  by  any  adequate  advantage  in  the  saving  in 
the  works  on  the  South  Devon  Railway,  and  probably  not  by 
any  subsequent  economy  or  advantage  in  the  working  ;  but  the 
system  admits  of  the  working  with  a  single  line,  without 
danger  of  collision,  certainly  with  less  than  upon  a  double 
locomotive  line.  And  I  believe  also,  that  considering  the 
absence  of  most  of  the  causes  of  accidents,  there  will  be  even 
less  liability  of  interruption,  and  less  delay  in  the  average, 
resulting  from  accidents  than  in  the  ordinary  double  loco- 
motive railway. 

By  the  modification  of  the  gradients  and  by  reducing  the 
curves  to  1000  feet  radius  where  any  great  advantage  can  be 
gained  by  so  doing,  and  by  constructing  the  cuttings,  embank- 
ments, tunnels  and  viaducts  for  a  single  line,  a  considerable 
saving  may  be  effected  in  the  first  cost. 

In  the  permanent  way  and  ballasting,  the  reduction  will 
be  about  one-half.  I  should  propose  to  make  the  rails  about 
52  Ibs.  weight,  and  the  timber  12  inches  by  6  inches  ;  the 
quantity  of  ballast  would  probably  be  rather  more  than  half, 
but  at  the  present  prices  of  iron  and  timber  the  saving  could 
not  be  less  than  £2500  per  mile. 

From  a  careful  revision  of  the  works  generally,  I  consider 
that  a  reduction  may  be  effected  in  the  following  items  and  to 
the  amount  specified  in  each,  viz.,  ballasting,  gradients  and 
curves  : — 

Reduction  in  earth  work,       .         .       .£16,500     o     o 
Reduction  in  length  of  principal 

tunnel,    .....          14,000    o     o 


£30,500  o  o 
Saving  by  Single  Line. 

Earth  work, £25,000  o  o 

Tunnels,         .....           11,500  o  o 

Viaducts,        .....           15,000  o  o 


Carry  forward,        £82,000     o     o 


362 


Appendix. 


Brought  forward, 

Permanent  Way  and  Ballast, 

To  allow  for  sidings,  say  50  miles, 

£2500, 


Per  Contra. 

Pipe  on  41^  miles, 
Increase   on  inclined   planes,   10^ 
miles,      ..... 
Engines  for  the  41  f  miles,     . 
Patent  right,  say,  .... 

Total, 

The  difference  in  first  cost,  there- 
fore, is,  . 

To  this  must,  however,  be  added 
the  cost  of  the  locomotive 
power,  with  its  attendant  ex- 
penses of  engine  houses,  etc., 
which  cannot,  I  think,  be  put 
at  less  than,  .... 

Making  a  saving  of 


£82,000     o     o 


£125,000-  o     o 
£207,000    o    o 


£138,000  o  o 

6,500  o  o 

35,000  o  o 

10,000  o  o 


£190,000    o    o 


£17,000    o    o 


50,000     o     o 
£67,000     o    o 


I  have  not  included  in  the  expense  of  the  Atmospheric 
apparatus  that  of  the  telegraph,  because,  at  its  present  reduced 
cost  of  £ 1 60  per  mile,  I  am  convinced  its  use  would  repay  the 
outlay  in  either  case. 

It  would  appear,  then,  that  the  line  can  be  constructed  and 
furnished  with  the  moving  power  in  working  order  on  the 
Atmospheric  System,  for  something  less  than  the  construction 
only  of  the  railway  fitted  for  the  locomotive  power,  but  with- 
out the  engines,  and  that,  taking  into  consideration  the  cost  of 
locomotive  power,  a  saving  in  first  outlay  may  be  effected  of 
upwards  of  £60,000. 

But  it  is  in  the  subsequent  working  that  I  believe  the 
advantages  will  be  most  sensible. 

In  the  first  place,  with  the  gradients  and  curves  of  the 
South  Devon  Railway  between  Newton  and  Plymouth,  a 
speed  of  30  miles  per  hour  would  have  been,  for  loco- 
motives, a  high  speed,  and  under  unfavourable  circumstances 


Appendix  363 

of  weather  and  of  load  it  would  probably  have  been  found 
difficult  and  expensive  to  have  maintained  even  this ;  with 
the  Atmospheric,  and  with  the  dimensions  of  pipes  I  have 
assumed,  a  speed  of  40  to  50  miles  may  certainly  be  depended 
upon,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  from  25  to  35  minutes  may 
be  saved  in  the  journey. 

Secondly,  the  cost  of  running  a  few  additional  trains,  so 
far  as  the  power  is  concerned,  is  so  small,  the  plant  of  engines, 
the  attendance  of  enginemen,  etc.,  remaining  the  same,  that 
it  may  almost  be  neglected  in  the  calculations,  so  that  short 
trains,  or  extra  trains  with  more  frequent  departures,  adapted 
in  every  respect  to  the  varying  demands  of  the  public,  can  be 
worked  at  a  very  moderate  cost. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  a  considerable  augmentation  of  the 
general  traffic  will  be  thus  effected  by  means  which,  with 
locomotive  engines,  would  be  very  expensive  and  frequently 
unattainable,  particularly  as  regards  one  class  of  short  trains, 
whether  for  passengers  or  goods,  which,  from  the  inconveni- 
ence of  working  them  by  locomotives,  are  hardly  known — I 
refer  to  trains  between  the  intermediate  stations. 

By  many  means,  which  the  easy  command  of  a  motive 
power  at  any  time,  at  every  part  of  a  line,  must  afford  of 
accommodating  the  public,  I  believe  the  traffic  may  be 
increased.  It  appears  to  me  also  that  the  quality  of  the 
travelling  will  be  much  improved  ;  that  we  shall  attain  greater 
speed,  less  noise  and  motion,  and  an  absence  of  the  coke 
dust,  which  is  certainly  still  a  great  nuisance ;  and  an  induce- 
ment will  thus  be  held  out  to  those  (the  majority  of  travellers) 
who  travel  either  solely  for  pleasure,  or,  at  least,  not  from 
necessity,  and  who  are  mainly  influenced  by  the  degree  of 
comfort  with  which  they  can  go  from  place  to  place.  Lastly, 
the  average  cost  of  working  the  trains  will  be  much  less  than 
by  locomotives. 

With  the  gradients  of  the  South  Devon  Railway,  and 
assuming  that  not  less  than  eight  trains,  including  mail  and 
goods  trains,  running  the  whole  distance,  and  certainly  one 
short  train  running  half  the  distance,  be  the  least  number 
that  would  suffice,  I  think  an  annual  saving  of  £80,000  a 
year  in  locomotive  expenses,  including  allowance  for  deprecia- 
tion of  plant,  may  very  safely  be  relied  on. 

For  all  the  reasons  above  quoted,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  tak- 
ing upon  myself  the  full  and  entire  responsibility  of  recom- 
mending the  adoption  of  the  Atmospheric  System  on  the  South 
Devon  Railway,  and  of  recommending  as  a  consequence  that 
the  line  and  works  should  be  constructed  for  a  single  line  only. 


APPENDIX     D. 

MR  BRUNEL'S  REPORT  TO  THE  SOUTH  DEVON  RAILWAY 
DIRECTORS,  ADVISING  THE  WITHDRAWAL  OF  THE  AT- 
MOSPHERIC PRINCIPLE  AFTER  ONE  YEAR'S  EXPERIENCE 
OF  THE  SYSTEM. 

You  have  called  upon  me  to  report  to  you  upon  the  present 
state  of  the  Atmospheric  apparatus,  and  particularly  upon  the 
circumstances  connected  with  the  partial  destruction  of  the 
longitudinal  valve,  which  has  lately  occurred,  and  the  pro- 
bability of  remedying  this  serious  defect,  and  of  keeping  the 
valve  in  repair  and  in  good  working  order. 

Such  a  report  involves  necessarily  the  consideration  of 
the  whole  question  of  our  experience  of  the  working  of  the 
Atmospheric  System,  because  to  arrive  at  any  clear  ap- 
preciation of  the  present  state  of  the  apparatus,  I  must  refer 
to  the  circumstances  which  have  affected  our  working  up  to 
the  present  time,  and  particularly  to  the  several  difficulties 
which  we  have  had  to  encounter,  and  their  effects.  The  first 
difficulty,  and  one  which  was  as  unexpected  as  it  was  serious, 
was  in  the  working  of  our  stationary  engines. 

Upon  the  efficiency  of  these  machines  must,  of  course, 
ultimately  depend  the  economy  and  efficiency  of  the  work- 
ing of  the  whole  system,  however  perfect  in  itself  might  be 
the  Atmospheric  apparatus.  Accordingly,  great  precautions 
were  taken — precautions  which  I  still  think  such  as  to  justify 
the  expectation  that  we  should  secure  the  best  engines  that 
could  be  made. 

The  three  first  manufacturers  of  the  day  were  employed — 
Messrs  Maudslay  (who  had  had  some  experience  in  this  par- 
ticular branch,  having  made  the  engines  for  the  Croydon 
Railway),  Messrs  Boulton  &  Watts,  and  Messrs  Rennie. 
They  prepared  their  own  designs,  and  I  know  that  they  each 
bestowed  much  thought  in  the  preparation  of  these  designs, 
and  took  considerable  interest  in  the  results. 

Mr  Samuda,  a  man  of  considerable  mechanical  abilities, 
having  all  the  experience  that  could  be  had  upon  the  subject, 

364 


Appendix.  365 

and  deeply  interested  in  the  success  of  the  engines,  was  also 
employed  to  superintend  their  manufacture. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  precautions,  notwithstanding 
excellent  workmanship,  these  engines  have  not,  on  the  whole, 
proved  successful ;  none  of  them  have  as  yet  worked  very 
economically,  and  some  are  very  extravagant  in  the  con- 
sumption of  fuel,  burning  nearly  double  the  quantity  of 
others,  while  the  average  is  very  considerably  more  than  it 
ought  to  be. 

The  apparent  causes  of  this  excess  are  various  in  the 
different  engines,  but  all  resulting  more  or  less  apparently 
from  the  want  of  experience  in  this  particular  application  of 
power,  and  from  the  circumstance  of  the  form  of  the  engines 
being  somewhat  novel,  and  involving  slight  differences  in  the 
proportion  and  arrangement  of  the  parts,  and  the  consump- 
tion of  steam  being  greater  than  was  calculated  upon,  it  has 
been  obtained  by  a  more  wasteful  expenditure  of  fuel,  and  the 
evil  has  been  aggravated. 

The  difficulty  of  remedying  this  state  of  things  has  been 
increased  by  the  consequence  of  defects  in  the  Atmospheric 
apparatus,  which,  causing  a  much  greater  demand  upon  the 
working  of  the  engines,  has  delayed,  or  has  entirely  prevented, 
our  throwing  an  engine  out  of  work,  to  introduce  the  re- 
quisite improvements.  Still,  so  far  as  this  defect  in  the 
engines  is  concerned,  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  is  susceptible 
of  considerable,  if  not  complete  remedy,  and  that  a  reduction 
of  one-third  may  be  effected  in  the  consumption  of  fuel.  In 
the  Atmospheric  apparatus  itself,  our  difficulties  have  been 
more  numerous.  We  have  suffered  from  extreme  cold,  par- 
ticularly when  it  followed  quickly  upon  wet.  We  have 
suffered  from  extreme  heat,  and  also  from  heavy  falls  of 
rain.  These  difficulties  have  in  turn  been  encountered  and 
gradually  overcome,  and  I  think  the  effects  of  all  these  causes 
upon  a  valve  in  good  condition  may  now  be  obviated,  if  not 
entirely,  yet  so  much  so  as  to  render  their  operation  unim- 
portant. The  same  remedy  applies  to  all  three,  keeping  the 
leather  of  the  valve  oiled  and  varnished,  and  rendering  it 
impervious  to  the  water,  which  otherwise  soaks  through  it  in 
wet  weather,  or  which  freezes  it  in  cold,  rendering  it  too  stiff 
to  shut  down  ;  and  the  same  precaution  prevents  the  leather 
being  dried  up  and  shrivelled  by  the  heat ;  for  this,  and  not 
the  melting  of  the  composition,  is  the  principal  inconvenience 
resulting  from  heat.  A  little  water  spread  on  the  valve  from 
a  tank  in  the  piston  carriage  has  also  been  found  to  be  useful 
in  very  dry  weather,  showing  that  the  dryness,  and  not  the 


366  Appendix, 

heat,  was  the  cause  of  the  leakage ;  but  a  new  difficulty  has 
arisen,  and  a  new  defect  has  been  discovered,  one  much  more 
serious  in  its  extent  and  its  possible  consequences,  and  one 
which  renders  the  operation  on  each  of  the  previously  men- 
tioned causes  of  difficulty  much  more  powerful  and  mis- 
chievous. Within  the  last  few  months,  but  more  particularly 
during  the  dry  weather  of  last  May  and  June,  a  considerable 
extent  of  longitudinal  valve  failed  by  the  tearing  of  the 
leather  at  the  joints  between  the  plates.  The  leather  first 
partially  cracked  at  these  points,  which  caused  a  considerable 
leakage,  particularly  in  dry  weather.  After  a  time  it  tears 
completely  through,  and  that  part  of  the  valve  is  destroyed, 
and  requires  to  be  replaced. 

A  considerable  extent  has  thus  been  replaced,  but  the 
whole  of  the  valve  is  more  or  less  defective  from  this  cause. 
The  amount  of  leakage  is  considerable,  and  the  working  al- 
together inefficient.  I  have  examined  carefully  portions  of 
the  valve  that  have  been  removed,  and  I  find  that  at  the  part 
which  has  given  way,  the  texture  of  the  leather  seems  to  be 
destroyed — it  is  black,  and  has  evidently  been  acted  upon  by 
the  iron  of  the  plates.  Upon  some  parts  of  the  line,  the  in- 
jury seems  to  be  more  general  than  upon  others,  but  it  is 
very  difficult  to  examine  the  valve  in  place,  so  as  to  form  any 
correct  opinion  of  the  extent  of  the  evil.  As  regards  the  cause 
of  this  defect,  Mr  Samuda,  who,  under  his  contract,  is  at  present 
liable  for  the  repair  of  the  valve,  urges  that  the  valve  was  kept 
for  a  length  of  time  in  cases  after  it  was  delivered  to  the  com- 
pany, and  that,  exposed  to  damp,  and  the  oil  in  the  leather 
not  being  renewed  on  the  surface,  the  iron  may  have  rusted 
and  the  leather  have  been  injured,  and  he  refers  to  instances 
lately  observed,  in  which  valves  taken  out  of  the  top  of  a 
case  which  has  been  exposed  to  wet  do  show  similar  signs  of 
injury.  Supposing,  however,  this  assumption  to  be  correct, 
it  would  not  seem  to  affect  the  question  of  his  liability.  He 
suggests  also,  as  a  cause,  that  the  valve  remained  for  a  length 
of  time  in  place  before  being  used,  and  even  worked  over  by 
locomotive  engines,  which  prevented  it  being  oiled  and  pro- 
perly attended  to ;  that  the  evil  has  been  aggravated  by  an 
attempt  to  reduce  too  much  the  use  of  oil  to  the  leather ;  and 
lastly,  that  the  piston-gear  has  been  allowed  to  get  out  of 
adjustment,  so  that  the  leather  of  the  valve  has  been  strained. 
I  shall  not,  however,  here  enter  into  the  discussion  of  this 
question  of  liability,  but  confine  myself  to  the  consideration 
of  the  evil,  and  the  possibility  of  remedying  it.  Of  the  ex- 
tent of  the  evil,  for  the  reason  I  have  given,  it  is  impossible  to 


Appendix,  367 

form  any  accurate  opinion  ;  it  is  impossible,  therefore,  to  say 
that  it  does  not  extend  more  or  less  over  the  whole  distance, 
excepting,  of  course,  that  which  has  been  already  replaced. 
That  which  has  been  injured  cannot  be  repaired  in  place,  but 
must  be  removed,  and  the  remedy  can  only  be  applied  in  the 
new   valve.     It  is  quite  possible  that  a  valve  made  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  present,  if  properly  attended  to  from  the 
first,  and  with  our  present  experience,  might  not  be  subject  to 
this  destruction ;  and  Mr  Samuda  states  that  such  is  the  case 
at  Dalkey,  but  I  do  not  think  that  I  could   rely  upon  this 
result.     By  painting,  but  better  still  by  zincing  or  galvanising 
the  iron  plates,  and  making  them  overlap  a  short  distance, 
both  the  chemical  and  the  mechanical  action  of  the  plate 
upon   the   leather   appears   to  be   prevented,  and   I   believe, 
therefore,  that  this  evil  may  be  remedied  at  a  small  increased 
cost  in  any  new  or  repaired  valve  that  might  be  laid  down  ; 
but  of  the  existing  valve  I  can  say  no  more  than  I  have  done. 
It  is  not  now  in  good  working  condition,  and  I  see  no  im- 
mediate prospect  of  its  being  rendered  so.     From  the  fore- 
going observations,  it  will  be  evident  that  I  cannot  consider 
the  result  of  our  experience  of  the  working  between  Exeter 
and  Newton  such  as  to  induce  one  to  recommend  the  exten- 
sion of  the  system.     I  believe  that,  if  the  longitudinal  valve  were 
restored,  the  working  expenses  might  be  immensely  reduced  ; 
that  the  quantity  of  fuel  consumed,  which  is  the  great  item  of 
expense,  may  be  diminished  by  one-third  ;  that  the  price  of  the 
fuel,  which  costs  i8s.  per  ton  at  the  engine  houses,  ought  to 
be  reduced,  at  least,  1 2  per  cent,  and  that  the  total  cost  may 
thus  be  brought  down  to  a  moderate  amount,  such  as  I  had 
originally  calculated  upon.     But  the  cost  of  construction  has 
far  exceeded  our  expectations,  and  the  difficulty  of  working 
a  system  so  totally  different  from  that  to  which  everybody — 
traveller  as  well  as  workmen — is  accustomed,  have  proved  too 
great ;  and  therefore,  although,  no  doubt,  after  some  further 
trial,  great  reductions  may  be  made  in  the  cost  of  working  the 
portion  now  laid,  I  cannot  anticipate  the  possibility  of  any  in- 
ducement to  continue  the  system  beyond  Newton.     With  re- 
spect to  the  future  working  of  the  apparatus  between  Exeter  and 
Newton,  I  feel  in  great  difficulty  as  to  expressing  any  opinion, 
seeing  that  a  very  large  expense  has  been  incurred ;  and  be- 
lieving, as  I  do,  that  the  cost  of  working  may  be  so  very  much 
reduced ;  but  that  the  reduction  can  only  be  effected  by  the 
almost  entire  renewal  of  the  valve,  and  by  some  expenditure 
in  the  engines.     And  unless  Mr  Samuda,  or  the  patentees, 
undertake  the  first,  and  extend  considerably  the  period  dur- 


368  Appendix. 

ing  which  they  would  maintain  it  in  repair ;  and  unless  they 
can  offer  some  guarantee  for  the  efficiency  of  that  valve,  I 
fear  that  the  company  would  not  be  justified  in  taking  that 
upon  themselves,  or  incurring  the  expense  attending  the  al- 
teration of  the  engines.  I  believe  that  for  the  inclined  planes, 
as  an  assistant  power,  the  apparatus  will  be  found  applicable 
and  efficient ;  and  as  the  engines  and  the  pipes  are  nearly  ready 
at  Dainton,  it  may  be  found  desirable  to  try  it  there,  pro- 
vided a  satisfactory  arrangement  can  be  entered  into  for  the 
maintenance  and  efficiency  of  the  valve.  I  have  not  referred 
to  our  .great  disappointment  in  not  obtaining  the  assistance 
of  the  telegraph  in  the  working  of  the  engines,  and  the 
greatly  increased  consumption  of  coal  consequent  upon  the 
working  of  the  engines  unnecessarily,  because  this  evil  is  now 
nearly  removed ;  but  some  further  reductions  may  still  be 
made  by  using  the  telegraph  by  night  as  well  as  day,  which 
has  not  yet  been  in  our  power  to  do,  but  which,  I  trust,  will 
be  commenced  this  week. 


INDEX 


ACCIDENTS,  126,  180,  271,  272,  275. 
,,  to  Narrow  Gauge  Experi- 

mental Train,  140. 

Amalgamation  of  Railway  Companies, 

107,  120,  159,  229,  231,  232,  240,  253. 

Atmospheric  Railways,   199,  206,  230. 

,,  Brunei,  212. 

,,  Clark   and    Varley's, 

215- 

,,  Samuda,  Report  on, 

207. 

,,  South  Devon,  Aban- 

don, 212,  214. 

,,  South  Devon,  First 

Trains,  210,  211. 

BABBAGE'S  Experiments,  59. 
Bidder,  and  the  Narrow  Gauge  Experi- 
ments, 138,  139. 

Birmingham,  Bristol  and  Thames  Junc- 
tion Railway,  12. 
,,         Broad     Gauge    Line    to, 

157,  254. 
,,         Broad        Gauge        Line, 

Opening  of,   180. 
,,  and  Gloucester  Railway, 

Opening  of,  105. 
,,  and     Oxford    Junction 

Railway,  157. 

Bodmin  and  Wadebridge  Railway,  220. 
Box  Tunnel,  Cort's  Description  of,  5. 
, ,  Gooch's  Description  of,  6 1 . 

,,  Opponents'  Description  of, 

7,  49- 

,,  Gooch's  Adventure  in,  61. 

Bridge,  Chepstow,  238. 
,,      Maidenhead,  40. 
,,      Saltash,  222. 
,,       Usk,  Burning  of,  236. 
Bristol  and  Exeter  Railway,  73,  74,  166, 

191. 
,,      Exeter  and  Crediton   Railway, 

1 60. 

,,      and  Gloucester  Railway,  Open- 
ing of,  74. 
Brunei,  Isambard  Kingdom. 

,,      Appointed   Engineer   of  Great 
Western  Railway,  2. 


Brunei,    Atmospheric,    212    (and    Ap- 
pendix). 

,,         Broad  Gauge,  16,  152. 

,,        Candid  Letter  to  Great  West- 
ern Railway  Directors,  2. 

,,        Evidence  in   favour  of  Great 

Western  Bill,  4. 
•    ,,        Flying  Arches,  238. 

, ,        Ferrying  Trains  across  Severn, 
241. 

,,        Gauge     Commissioners'    Ap- 
preciation of,  147. 

,,        Omitted-    to    mention     Great 
Western  Railway  Gauge,  7. 

,,        Report     to     Great     Western 
Directors,  18. 

,,        Sketch  of  Career,  87. 

CANALS,  279. 

,,        Dividends  of,  279. 

,,        Great       Western       Railway, 

Owner  of,  280. 
Capital  of  Great  Western  Railway,  320. 

,,        Expenditure,  321. 
Channel  Islands  Service,  264. 

,,  ,,  Improved,  267. 

Cheltenham  and  Great  Western  Union 

Railway,  63. 
Chepstow  Bridge,  238. 
Cloak-Room,  The  first,  82. 
Cobden's  Resolution  on  Gauges,  120. 
Conversion    from    Broad     to    Narrow 

Gauge  (see  Gauges). 
'  Cornishman,"  125. 

,,  Last  Broad  Gauge,  288. 

Cornwall  Railway,  218,  220. 

Board  of  Trade  Re- 
port in  favour  of, 
219. 

,,  Minerals  Railway,  231. 

Corridor  Trains,  313. 

DARTMOOR  Railway,  206. 
Different  Gauges  (see  Gauges). 
Double  Gauge  (see  Gauges). 


ELECTRIC  Tablet  Working,  312. 
Eton  College  objects  to  Railway,  6,  7. 


2  A 


Index, 


Eton   College   circumvented  by  Great 

Western  Railway,  8. 
Euston  Station,  Great  Western    Rail- 
way propose  to  use,  6,  9. 
Excursion,    First,    on    Great   Western 

Railway,  81. 
Exeter  and  Crediton  Railway,   Broad 

Gauge,   159. 
Exeter  and  Crediton  Railway,  altered 

to  Narrow  Gauge,  163. 
Exeter  and   Crediton    Railway,    Great 

Western   Trains   on,  165. 
Exeter  and   Crediton    Railway,    Hay- 
making on,  164. 

Exeter  and  Crediton  Railway,  recon- 
verted to  Broad  Gauge,  164. 
Exeter  Expresses,  125,  127,  128. 

,,      Great   Western   Mixed    Gauge 

to,  182. 

,,      Narrow  Gauge  Railway  author- 
ised to,  167. 
,,      New  Great  Western  Route  to, 

281. 
Extensions  in  Cornwall,  316. 

'  FAIRFIELD  '   combined    Engine   and 
Carriage,  195. 

Fenton,    Sir    M.,    and     Metropolitan 
Railway  Crisis,  259. 

Flying  Arches,  238. 

'Flying  Dutchman,'  125. 

„  Accident  to,  271. 

French    Diligences  conveyed  by  Rail- 
way, 145. 

GAUGES,  Battle  of  the,  in  1847,  166. 

,,  Battle  of  the,  Broad  Gauge 
Leaders,  84. 

,,  Battle  of  the,  Conclusions  of 
House  of  Lords,  154. 

,,  Battle  of  the,  Fight  for  the 
Oxford  and  Rugby,  118. 

, ,  Battle  of  the,  Fight  for  the  Ox- 
ford and  Birmingham,  157- 

„  Battle  of  the,  Resolution  for 
Select  Committee,  120. 

,,       Break  of,  first,  105. 

,,  ,,  in  Germany,  109. 

,,  ,,  Punch  on,  III. 

,,  ,,  Remedies  for,  108. 

„  Broad,  Acts  obtained  in 
1845,  121. 

,,  Broad,  Acts  obtained  in 
1846,  165. 

,,         Broad,  Advantages  of,  38. 

,,  Broad,  Brunei's  reason  for 
adopting,  16. 

,,  Broad,  Dissatisfaction  with, 
1 8. 

,,         Broad,  Economy  of,  148. 


Gauges,   Broad,  Epitaph  of,  304. 

„         Broad,  Extent  of,  in  1876, 282. 
,,         Broad,   Funeral    Sermon  of, 

283. 
,,         Broad,   Gooch's    Views   on, 

65- 
,,         Broad,  Last  Trains,  291,  292, 

293- 

,,  Broad,  Narrow  Gauge  ap- 
preciation of,  316. 

,,         Broad,  Petitions  in  favour  of, 

"3- 

,,         Broad,  Popularity  of,  150. 

,,  Broad,  safer  at  high  speeds, 
146. 

,,  Broad,  Shareholders  in 
favour  of,  38. 

,,  Broad,  Smoothness  of  travel- 
ling on,  146. 

,,  Broad,  Superiority  of, 
vehicles,  146. 

,,         Broad,  Wood's  Reports  on, 

36,  37; 

,,         Commissioners,  121,  128. 
,,         Commissioners,  Appreciation 

of  Great  Western  Railway 

by,  147. 
,,         Commissioners,    Conclusions 

of,  142,  144  and  145. 
,,         Commissioners,      Cost       of, 

149. 
,,         Commissioners,  Meetings  of, 

IS*; 

,,  Commissioners'  Report,  Ap- 
pendix, 144,  and 

,,  Commissioners'  Report,  Ob- 
servations on,  150. 

,,  Commissioners'  Report,  Ob- 
servations on,  Gauge  Com- 
missioners' Reply  to, 

15*; 

,,  Commissioners'  Report,  Ad- 
ditional Observations  on, 

T53-. 

, ,  Commissioners,  Questions 
by,  129. 

,,  Commissioners,  Recommen- 
dations of,  149. 

,,  Commissioners,  Witnesses 
examined  by,  132. 

,,  Conversion  of  Broad  Gauge, 
First,  248. 

„  Conversion,  Extra  Men  em- 
ployed, 298. 

,,  Conversion,  First  Narrow 
Gauge  Trains,  295. 

,,  Conversion,  Fox  well  on, 
296. 

,,  Conversion,  Gloucester  to 
Grange  Court,  249. 


Index. 


Gauges,  Conversion,  Last  Broad 
Gauge  Trains,  293. 

,,  Conversion,  London  and 
South  -  Western  Railway 
assist  at,  287,  294. 

,,  Conversion,  Locomotives, 
304- 

,,  Conversion,  Mail  Service 
during,  294. 

,,  Conversion,  Operations 
necessary,  300. 

„         Conversion,    Punch's  Poem, 

3I7- 

,,         Conversion,  Results  of,  311. 
,,         Conversion,    Rolling   Stock, 

304- 

,,  Conversion,  Table  of  Lines 
converted,  251. 

,,  Conversion,  Traffic  Arrange- 
ments, 286. 

,,  Experiments,  Accident  to 
Narrow  Gauge  Train,  140. 

,,         Experiments,    Broad   Gauge 

,,  Triumphs,  141. 

,,  Experiments,  Unfairness  of 
Narrow  Gauge  Tactics, 

134,   138- 
,,         Mixed,  171. 
,,         Mixed,  to  Exeter,  182. 
„         Mixed,  First  Line,  177. 
,,         Mixed,  Locke  on,  173. 
,,         Mixed,  Morning  Herald  on, 

174. 

„         Mixed,  Safety  of,  177. 
,,         Mixed,  R.  Stephenson  on,  172. 
,,         Mixed,  'Turn  off,'  179. 
,,         Narrow,    First    Train    from 

Paddington,   180. 
,,         Narrow,  Carriages,  262. 
,,         Narrow,     Inconvenience     to 

Travellers,  no. 
,,         Regulation   of    Gauge    Bill, 

155- 
Gooch,  Sir  Daniel. 

,,      Appreciation  of  Broad  Gauge, 

65-. 

,,      Appointed   Loco.   Superintend- 
ent, 64. 

,,      Chairman,  100. 
,,      created  Baronet,  99. 
,,      commenced  Duties,  99. 
,,      Death,  100. 

,,      Description  of  Original   Great 
Western  Locomotives,  56,  70. 
Experiments  by,  174. 
,,      Locomotives  by,  183,  196,  197, 

257. 

,,      Marriage,  100. 
,,       retired,  99,  263. 
,,       Kuabon  Coal  Company,  254. 


Gooch,  Sketch  of  Life,  93. 
,,      voted  ^"5000,  100. 
Gradients,    n,    49,    135    (Bristol    and 
Exeter),    74 ;    (Cornwall    Minerals), 
232  ;  (South  Devon),  203. 
G.W.  Ry.,  I. 

,,      Act,  Cost  of,  8. 

,,      Act,  Cost  of  endeavour  to  obtain 

Original  Bill,  6 
,,      Act,  Royal  Assent  to,  7. 
,,      and     Birmingham    and    Oxford 

Junction  Railway,  159. 
,,      and  Cornwall  Railway,  229. 
,,      and  Cornwall  Minerals  Railway, 

232. 

,,      and  Devon   and  Somerset  Rail- 
way, 252. 

,,      and  South  Wales  Railway,  240. 
,,      and  West  Cornwall  Railway,  231. 
,,      and  West  Midland  Railway,  248. 
,,      and  Wycombe  Railway,  248. 
Canals,  280. 

First  Bill,  3  ;  thrown  out,  3. 
Gauge  of,  6. 
Mileage,  321. 
Statistical  Information,  82,  322. 

HAYLE  Railway,  230. 
KINGSBRIDGE  Railway,  204. 

LEADING  Railways,  320. 
Lines  Leased  by  Great  Western  Rail- 
way, 322. 
Locke  on  Mixed  and  Double  Gauge, 

173- 

Locomotives- — 
'  yEolus,'  53,  56. 
Bristol  and  Exeter,  191. 
Broad  and  Narrow  Gauge  compared, 

148. 

'  Corsair,'  196. 
'  Cornishman  '  Engines,  192. 
Early,  ordered  by  Brunei,  65. 
'  Elk,'  190. 
'  Evening  Star,'  69. 
'  Firefly  '  and  '  Fury  '  Classes,  69. 
Gooch's  Description  of,  56,  70. 
'  Great  Western,'  183. 
'  Hercules,'  140. 
'  Hurricane,"  67. 
'  Ixion,'  134,  137. 
List  of  First  Broad  Gauge,  66. 
List  of  '  Great  Western  '  Class,  187. 
'  Lord  of  the  Isles,'  186. 
Metropolitan,  257,  261. 
Narrow    Gauge   for   Gauge   Experi- 
ments, 131,  137. 
'  North  Star,'  52. 
'  Pluto,'  196. 


372 


Index. 


Locomotives — 

'  Premier,'  67,  190. 
'  Queen,'  190. 
'  Samson,'  137. 
Seven  Feet  coupled,  197. 
South  Devon,  196. 
'  Thunderer,  67. 
'Vale  of  Neath,'  198. 
'  Vulcan,'  59. 

London  and  Birmingham  Railway 
Schemes,  4,  118,  122,  157. 

London  and  Birmingham  Railway,  Ex- 
traordinary proceedings  of,  158. 

London  and  Birmingham  Railway,  Ex- 
traordinary proceedings  of,  Parlia- 
mentary Enquiry  into,  159. 

London  and  Birmingham  Railway, 
Parliamentary  Enquiry  into  extra- 
ordinary proceedings  results  in 
favour  of  Great  Western  Railway, 

159- 

London  and  North  Western  Railway 
(see  London  and  Birmingham  Rail- 
way). 

London  and  South  Western  Railway 
and  Exeter  and  Crediton  Railway, 
1 60,  165. 

London  and  South  Western  Railway 
Schemes,  116,  168,  170,  218,  316. 

London  Time,  105. 

MAIDENHEAD  Bridge,  40,  42. 
Mail  Robbery,  75. 
Metropolitan  Railway,  256. 

,,  ,,     Great  Northern  Loco- 

motives work,  259. 
,,  ,,     Level  Crossing,  262. 

,,  ,,     Opening  of,  258. 

,,  ,,     Sir  M.  Fenton  works 

the    traffic    under 
difficulties,  259. 
Midland  Railway  and  Birmingham  and 

Gloucester  Railway,  107. 
Midland  Railway,   Broad  Gauge  Line 

of,  115. 
Mixed  Gauge  (see  Gauges). 

NASH  and  the  Luggage  Robberies,  78. 

OPENING  of  Bath  and  Bristol,  59. 

,,  Birmingham  and  Glou- 

cester, 105. 

,,  Birmingham  and  Oxford 

Junction,  180. 

,,  Bodmin  and  Wadebridge, 

220. 

,,  Bristol  and  Gloucester,  74. 

,,  Bristol  and  South  Western 

Union,  240. 

,,  Bristol  and  Exeter,  74. 

,,  Falmouth,  229. 


Opening   of  Great  Western,  53,  61. 

,,  Great  Western,  Woods' ac- 

count of,  54. 
,,  Gloucester,  no. 

,,  Kingsbridge,  204. 

,,  London  and  South  Western 

Railway  to  Exeter,  168. 
Metropolitan,  258. 
Milford  Haven,  264. 
New  Quay,  232. 
Oxford,  73. 
Reading,  59. 
South  Devon,  209,  215. 
Teign  Valley,  277. 
Twyford,  58. 
Torquay,  216. 
Truro,  221. 
Oxford  opposes  a  Railway,  6. 
Oxford,  Worcester  and  Wolverhampton 
Railway  abandon  Broad  Gauge,  247. 

PADDINGTON  Station,  Description  of, 

IX. 

,,  ,,       Extension  to,  n. 

,,  ,,       Frith's  picture  of,  II. 

,,  ,,       Lighted  by   Elec- 

tricity, 276. 
* , ,  , ,      Narrow  Gauge  Lines 

to,  1 80. 

Passengers  on  Great  Western,  81,  322. 
Permanent  Way,  16. 
Petition  in  favour  of  Broad  Gauge,  113. 
Punch  on  the  Break  of  Gauge,  in. 
Punch    and    the  Abolition    of    Broad 
Gauge,  317. 

QUEEN'S  First  Journey  by  Rail,  62. 
„        Saloon,  62. 

RATES  and  Taxes,  57. 

Revenue   of  Great    Western  Railway, 

early,  57. 
Revenue   of  Great   Western     Railway 

in  1894,  322. 
Rolling  Stock,  Brunei's  ideas  regarding, 

?i- 

Conversion  of,  304,  308. 

Description  of  Original.  71. 

propelled  by  Wind,  57. 

Statements,  68,  82,  321. 

Weight  of,  26,  314, 
Robberies,  75,  78. 
Royal  Albert  Bridge,  222. 
Russell,  Mr  C.,  254. 

SALTASH  Bridge,  222. 

Samuda,  Mr,  207. 

Saunders,  Mr  C.  A.,  Bribe  of  .£25,000 

offered  to,  102. 
,,         Death  of,  103. 


Index. 


i  i-r  *< 

o/ o 


Saunders,  Mr  C.  A.,  Presentation  to, 

101. 

,,         Resignation  of,  103. 
,,         Retiring  Pension  to,  103. 
,,          Secretary    and  Superintend- 
ent, 101. 
Saunders,  MrF.  G.,  Funeral  Sermon  of 

Broad  Gauge,  283. 
Severn  Tunnel,  241. 

,,  First  Train  through,  244. 

,,  Gradients,  243. 

,,  Opening  of,  245. 

Snowstorm,  277. 
South     Devon      Railway  —  (see     also 

Atmospheric). 
Gradients,  203. 
Locomotives,  196. 
Locomotive  Power  on,  215. 
Projected,  199. 
Viaducts,  205. 
.South  Wales  Railway,  234. 

,,  First  Engine  on,  239. 

,,  Speed  on,  235. 

,,  to    be    made     Broad 

Gauge,  155. 

,,  Viaducts,  236. 

Speed  on  Different  Railwaysin  1845, 12^- 
,,         South  Wales  Railway,  235. 
,,     Superiority    on    Broad    Guage, 
146,  184,  192,  235. 


Stephenson,  G.,  and  the  Box  Tunnel,  48- 

,,  R.,  (see  Gauge,  Mixed). 

Statistical  Information,  321,  322. 
Sturrock,  260. 

TAW  Vale  Railway,  160. 
Telegraph,  Electric,  49,  58. 
Telescopic  Axles,  144. 
Third-Class  Passengers,  80,  278. 
Travelling  Porter,  188. 
Torbay  and  Brixham  Railway,  216. 

VIADUCT,  Wharncliffe,  12,  42. 
,,          Wooden,  204,  236. 

WEST  Cornwall  Railway,  229. 
West  Midland  Railway,  248. 
Weymouth  Train  Service,  264. 
Wharncliffe  Viaduct  ,12,  42. 
Wood,     N.,     Description      of     Great 
\Vestern    Permanent   Way, 
1 6. 
,,      Journey    on    Great    Western 

"Railway,  54. 
, ,       Reports  against  Broad  Gauge, 

36,  37- 
Wycombe  Railway,  248. 


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